Leaders of the SCAR State of the Antarctic Ecosystem (AntECO) and Antarctic Climate Change in the 21st Century (AntCLIM21) Scientific Research Programmes (SRPs) are among the authors of a recent article in Nature Climate Change examining the impacts on species living on the Southern Ocean seafloor as the waters warm over the coming century.
The results, based on 963 invertebrate species, highlight the regions and species that are most likely to respond significantly to the changing environment. They also demonstrate that while warming temperatures alone are unlikely to result in wholesale extinction or invasion affecting Antarctic seafloor life, 79% of Antarctica’s endemic species do face a significant reduction in suitable temperature habitat.
The authors acknowledge the contributors of data and expert knowledge to the SCAR Biogeographic Atlas of the Southern Ocean.
Huw J. Griffiths, Andrew J. S. Meijers & Thomas J. Bracegirdle, “More losers than winners in a century of future Southern Ocean seafloor warming”, Nature Climate Change (2017).
DOI:10.1038/nclimate3377