NCCOS is developing decision support tools to inform living marine resource management in accordance with the impacts of climate change.
Why We Care
Climate change is altering our ocean and coastal living marine resources. Warming oceans, rising seas, melting sea ice, and increasing acidification can all impact the abundance and distribution of habitats and living resources that our coastal communities depend on. Decision-support tools to inform management that accounts for climate-driven changes are critical for sustainable resource management.
What We Are Doing
As part of NOAA’s Climate Ecosystems and Fisheries Initiative (CEFI), NCCOS will be developing decision-support tools to support living marine resource management in coastal ecosystems with a focus on NOAA “special places” such as National Marine Sanctuaries and National Estuarine Research Reserves. We will enhance our ecological modeling and assessments to accelerate routine delivery of current and projected ecosystem condition scenarios, risk assessments, and management options that take into account the changing climate. Specific projects under this portfolio include:
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- Climate-informed research to support NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries
- Coastal ocean model hindcasts in Alaska’s Cook Inlet to support resource management
- Using acoustic telemetry to project fish distributions in Chesapeake Bay due to climate change
Benefits of Our Work
NCCOS will assemble a team to assist development, deployment, and distribution of CEFI climate-informed products and services to support federal, state, and local stakeholders to evaluate management options and assess associated risks.