Ireland is a key location for investigating the effects of climate variation on marine ecosystems and on the ocean’s biology and geochemistry. The island, in particular the west coast, is under the direct influence of main climate regulators, such as the Atlantic Current and the North Atlantic climate system.
The Irish Marine Institute has recently launched the national ‘Marine Climate Change’ (MCC) research program to investigate the effects of climatic variations on the Irish marine environment. The program commenced in December 2007 and is expected to span a period of seven years.
This study aims to investigate the dynamics of the Irish coastal ecosystem over several decades in relation to climate variations. In particular, changes in abundance and geographic distribution of the biological resources – phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish (salmonids and marine species) will be analysed, together with and in relation to the variations of the ocean’s physical conditions (temperature, salinity) over time. A further level of analysis will consider the influence that climate exerts on the trends of the ecosystem’s variables. Fluctuations of the principal components of the biological and physical variables will be analysed against the temporal variations of climate indicators such as the North Atlantic Oscillation Index (NAOI) and the East Atlantic patterns (EA). A final level of analysis will consider the interactions among different trophic levels and possible ecosystem modifications in response to climate change scenarios, through an ecosystem-modelling component.
From the experience gathered in the bi-annual analytical phase, the Marine Climate Change (MCC) research group will draw a series of recommendations to address the technological, scientific, and political gaps of Climate Change research in Ireland. This will take the form of a Marine Climate Change Research Strategy document for the 2009-2013 period and production of a Bi-Annual Ocean Climate Status Summary Report, prepared jointly with other relevant national and international institutions.