Climate forcing and sudden change in marine ecosystems ...

• Main Author: Litzow, MA
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: University Of Tasmania 2023
• Subjects: Pacific; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25959/23239145; https://figshare.utas.edu.au/articles/thesis/Climate_forcing_and_sudden_change_in_marine_ecosystems/23239145

Rationale‚ÄövÑvÆContinental shelf ecosystems occasionally undergo \regime shifts\" ‚Äö- abrupt reorganization events that can have deleterious social and economic effects on fishing communities that rely on affected species. Regime shifts are often interpreted as transitions to alternative ecosystem states after external perturbations such as fishing pressure cross a critical threshold; they have also been related to shifts in modes of internal climate variability such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation. However hypotheses explaining regime shifts are extremely difficult to test given the multivariate nature of both stressors and community response the frequent paucity of data at adequate spatial and temporal scales possible non-linear and non-stationary relationships and the use of observational data that preclude strong inference. Furthermore regime shifts have often been invoked to explain ecological change without the consideration of competing models such as the ...