Contrasting futures for ocean and society from different anthropogenic CO 2 emissions scenarios

The ocean moderates anthropogenic climate change at the cost of profound alterations of its physics, chemistry, ecology, and services. Here, we evaluate and compare the risks of impacts on marine and coastal ecosystems—and the goods and services they provide—for growing cumulative carbon emissions under two contrasting emissions scenarios. The current emissions trajectory would rapidly and significantly alter many ecosystems and the associated services on which humans heavily depend. A reduced emissions scenario—consistent with the Copenhagen Accord's goal of a global temperature increase of less than 2°C—is much more favorable to the ocean but still substantially alters important marine ecosystems and…

• SR
  Sight Research UK

  Awards: pml010005, pml010009
• AN
  Agence Nationale de la Recherche

  Award: ANR-2011-JSH1-004 01
• SN
  Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
• NF
  Nippon Foundation
• SF
  Seventh Framework Programme
• NS
  Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
• SS
  Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
• NE
  Natural Environment Research Council

  Awards: pml010005, pml010009