Scene from a survey dive near Catalina Island, just off the southern California coast. Photograph by Adam Obaza, NOAA Fisheries, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/ via Flickr
Marine Ecosystems
Climate change is altering U.S. marine ecosystems in unprecedented ways, leading to shifts in species’ location, productivity, and seasonal timing. This poses risks to fisheries, tourism, recreation, transportation, energy, and other economic sectors—and also undermines critical connections between people and the ocean, especially within Indigenous communities.
- Unprecedented climate impacts threaten ecosystems and human well-being.
- Climate change is altering marine-related economic activities.
- Our future ocean depends on decisions today.
From the Ocean Ecosystems and Marine Resources chapter of the Fifth National Climate Assessment
Kelp bass utilize offshore eelgrass habitat. Photographer: Adam Obaza, NOAA Fisheries WCR Protected Resources Division, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/, via Flickr
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Featured resources
Kevin Lawver. CC BY-SA 2.0, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Screen capture from video "Confronting Changing Climate Conditions: A Lobster Community Adapts through Participatory Planning." Video footage: Jeff Dobbs, Jeff Dobbs Productions. Used with permission
Related Case Studies & Action Plans
Nancy Pau/USFWS
Michele Whitbeck/USFWS
