A framework for understanding climate change impacts on coral reef social–ecological systems

• Published in: Regional Environmental Change
• Main Authors: Cinner, Joshua Eli, Pratchett, Morgan Stuart, Graham, Nicholas Anthony James, Messmer, Vanessa, Fuentes, Mariana Menezes Prata Bezerra, Ainsworth, Tracy, Ban, Natalie, Bay, Line Kolind, Blythe, Jessica, Dissard, Delphine, Dunn, Simon, Evans, Louisa, Fabinyi, Michael, Fidelman, Pedro, Figueiredo, Joana, Frisch, Ashley John, Fulton, Christopher John, Hicks, Christina Chemtai, Lukoschek, Vimoksalehi, Mallela, Jennie, Moya, Aurélie, Penin, Lucie, Rummer, Jodie Lynn, Walker, Stefan, Williamson, David Hall
• Other Authors: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoralCoE), James Cook University (JCU), Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science Tallahassee (FSU, Florida State University Tallahassee (FSU), School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria Canada (UVIC), Australian Institute of Marine Science Townsville (AIMS Townsville), Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), WorldFish, Biogéochimie-Traceurs-Paléoclimat (BTP), Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approches Numériques (LOCEAN), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of Exeter, Nova Southeastern University (NSU), Stanford University, Ecologie marine tropicale dans les Océans Pacifique et Indien (ENTROPIE Réunion ), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2016
• Subjects: Social–ecological; Coral reef; Climate change; Multiple impacts; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01306704; https://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01306704/document; https://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01306704/file/A%20framework%20for%20understanding%20climate%20change%20impacts%20on%20coral_hal.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-015-0832-z

International audience Corals and coral-associated species are highly vulnerable to the emerging effects of global climate change. The widespread degradation of coral reefs, which will be accelerated by climate change, jeopardizes the goods and services that tropical nations derive from reef ecosystems. However, climate change impacts to reef social–ecological systems can also be bi-directional. For example, some climate impacts, such as storms and sea level rise, can directly impact societies, with repercussions for how they interact with the environment. This study identifies the multiple impact pathways within coral reef social–ecological systems arising from four key climatic drivers: increased sea surface temperature, severe tropical storms, sea level rise and ocean acidification. We develop a novel framework for investigating climate change impacts in social–ecological systems, which helps to highlight the diverse impacts that must be considered in order to develop a more complete understanding of the impacts of climate change, as well as developing appropriate management actions to mitigate climate change impacts on coral reef and people.