For the week of 15 October 2018

Join us Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 4 pm US EDT / 1 pm US PDT/8 pm UTC - Wednesday, October 24, 7 am Australian EST for a webinar on Marine Heatwaves – Trends, Impacts Attribution, and Software by Alistair Hobday of CSIRO and Eric Oliver of Dalhousie University. 

Extreme climate and weather events shape the structure of biological systems and affect the biogeochemical functions and services they provide for society. There is overwhelming evidence that the frequency, duration, intensity and timing of extreme events on land are changing under global warming, increasing the risk of severe, pervasive and in some cases irreversible impacts on natural and socio-economic systems.  Climatic extremes also occur in the ocean, and recent decades have seen many high-impact marine heatwaves (MHWs) –anomalously warm water events that may last many months and extend over thousands of square kilometres. A range of biological and economic impacts have been associated with some intense MHWs. We will cover historical and projected trends in these events, and the role of attribution for communication and mechanistic understanding. Growing public interest in marine extreme events means that measuring the severity of these phenomena in real time is becoming more important, and we propose a method for consistent description of MHWs that is compatible with an underlying long term trend. Finally, we will demonstrate software that is available for use to study or follow MHWs in your area of interest. 

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar205

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

OpenChannels Weekly Update

For the week of 08 October 2018

Join us Thursday, January 31, 11 am US EST/8 am US PST/4 pm UTC for a webinar on Not all those who wander are lost – Fishers communities’ responses to shifts in the distribution and abundance of fish resources by Eva Papaioannou of the University of Dundee and Rebecca Selden of Rutgers University.

Fish resources in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US are sensitive to the impacts of climate change, with marked shifts in species’ distribution already taking place. Fishing communities’ response strategies to change are frequently neglected within policy, compromising the effectiveness of management schemes. This presentation will describe: 1) how fishing communities in these regions are responding to changes in the abundance and distribution of major commercial species and 2) how key characteristics of the fisheries (e.g., species diversity, gear diversity, vessel mobility, quota and permitting systems, proximity to fishing grounds) and fishing communities shape their choice of response strategies (e.g., changes in fishing effort, port of landing, and target species). This presentation will draw from research on New England lobster fisheries and mid-Atlantic Bight trawl fisheries. Results from these types of studies are critical for the development of climate-ready fisheries management and community adaptation plans. 

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar204

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 01 October 2018

Join us Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 4 pm US EDT / 1 pm US PDT/8 pm UTC - Wednesday, October 24, 7 am Australian EST for a webinar on Marine Heatwaves – Trends, Impacts Attribution, and Software by Alistair Hobday of CSIRO and Eric Oliver of Dalhousie University.

Extreme climate and weather events shape the structure of biological systems and affect the biogeochemical functions and services they provide for society. There is overwhelming evidence that the frequency, duration, intensity and timing of extreme events on land are changing under global warming, increasing the risk of severe, pervasive and in some cases irreversible impacts on natural and socio-economic systems.  Climatic extremes also occur in the ocean, and recent decades have seen many high-impact marine heatwaves (MHWs) –anomalously warm water events that may last many months and extend over thousands of square kilometres. A range of biological and economic impacts have been associated with some intense MHWs. We will cover historical and projected trends in these events, and the role of attribution for communication and mechanistic understanding. Growing public interest in marine extreme events means that measuring the severity of these phenomena in real time is becoming more important, and we propose a method for consistent description of MHWs that is compatible with an underlying long term trend. Finally, we will demonstrate software that is available for use to study or follow MHWs in your area of interest.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar202

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 24 September 2018

Join us Thursday, October 11, 10 am EDT/7 am PDT/2 pm UTC/3 pm British Summer Time for a webinar on Implications of climate change for managing coastal and marine protected habitats and species by Paul Buckley of the Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas).

Climate change is already affecting a wide range of marine and coastal conservation features (habitats, species, and communities). Impacts on the quality, composition and presence of these protected features presents challenges to their conservation within protected sites and their wider networks. Here we present findings from recent studies undertaken by the UK Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP) on the implications of climate change for protected features and wider marine biodiversity legislation. Case studies on the vulnerability of specific marine conservation features to climate change are presented, and potential management options explored. Broader issues for the implementation of legislation that includes coastal and marine biodiversity are discussed, including mechanisms that exist within these obligations to ‘accommodate’ impacts of climate change. Finally, wider challenges, and opportunities, for the conservation of marine species, habitats, and communities in a changing climate are explored. 

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar203

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 17 September 2018

Join us Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 4 pm US EDT / 1 pm US PDT/8 pm UTC - Wednesday, October 24, 7 am Australian EST for a webinar on Marine Heatwaves – Trends, Impacts Attribution, and Software by Alistair Hobday of CSIRO and Eric Oliver of Dalhousie University.

Extreme climate and weather events shape the structure of biological systems and affect the biogeochemical functions and services they provide for society. There is overwhelming evidence that the frequency, duration, intensity and timing of extreme events on land are changing under global warming, increasing the risk of severe, pervasive and in some cases irreversible impacts on natural and socio-economic systems.  Climatic extremes also occur in the ocean, and recent decades have seen many high-impact marine heatwaves (MHWs) –anomalously warm water events that may last many months and extend over thousands of square kilometres. A range of biological and economic impacts have been associated with some intense MHWs. We will cover historical and projected trends in these events, and the role of attribution for communication and mechanistic understanding. Growing public interest in marine extreme events means that measuring the severity of these phenomena in real time is becoming more important, and we propose a method for consistent description of MHWs that is compatible with an underlying long term trend. Finally, we will demonstrate software that is available for use to study or follow MHWs in your area of interest.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar202

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 10 September 2018

Join us Thursday, November 15, 1 pm US EST/10 am US PST/6 pm UTC for a webinar on New Study Highlights Need to Tackle Fisheries and Climate Together by Steve Gaines and Chris Costello of UCSB and Kristin Kleisner and Merrick Burden of EDF.

The world’s oceans have the potential to be significantly more plentiful than today even with climate change, provided good management practices are put in place and warming is held to no more than 2 degrees Celsius, according to the first-of-its kind study (http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/8/eaao1378). The study shows that compared to today, estimated future global outcomes include a $14 billion USD increase in profits, 25 billion additional servings of seafood, and 217 million more metric tons of fish in the sea - nearly a third more fish than exist today, if we can meet the imperative of the Paris Climate Accord and ensure global temperatures don’t rise beyond 2 degrees Celsius. Co-authors will discuss the findings and implications of the paper, as well as what is already being done by governments around the world to address climate change impacts on fisheries and people around the globe. Webinar hosted by the EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by OCTO and NatureServe).

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar201

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 03 September 2018

Date Change: Climate-driven species redistribution in marine systems with Gretta Pecl of the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and Centre for Marine Socioecology in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia will now be on Tuesday, September 25, 4:30 pm US EDT/1:30 pm US PDT/8:30 pm UTC Wednesday, September 26, 6:30 am Australian EST.

Climate change is driving a pervasive global redistribution of the planet’s species, with manifest implications from genes to ecosystems across multiple temporal and spatial scales. Species redistribution defies current approaches to natural resource management that focus on restoring systems to a baseline and are often based on boundaries drawn in the past. Changes in distribution of marine resources creates difficulties, particularly when species cross jurisdictional boundaries and where historical catch rates and assessment processes may no longer be appropriate. Moreover, we are still a long way from understanding the suite of mechanisms and processes underlying the high variation in rate and magnitude of shifts. We have even less understanding of how species redistribution will drive changes in ecological communities and further complicate aspirations of ecosystem-based management. Climate-driven species redistribution therefore presents intriguing ecological challenges to unravel, as well as fundamental philosophical questions and urgent issues related to ecology, fisheries, food security, Indigenous and local livelihoods, and many other aspects of human well-being. This presentation will highlight some of the progress with adaptation planning and adaptation actions at international, national and local scales, including the need for an interdisciplinary approach and stakeholder engagement.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar200

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 20 August 2018

Join us Thursday, October 11, 1 pm US EDT/10 am US PDT/5 pm UTC for a webinar on Listening to our Sanctuaries: Understanding and Reducing the Impacts of Underwater Noise in Marine Protected Areas presented by Leila Hatch of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

Increasing levels of human activity are contributing increasing levels of underwater noise to the world's aquatic places. In the US, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is the federal agency most responsible for preventing harm to aquatic animals and their habitats. This presentation will discuss NOAA's interest in conserving acoustic habitat quality in addition to minimizing adverse physical and behavioral impacts of noise to specific species. It will also focus on the role that National Marine Sanctuaries are playing in NOAA's Ocean Noise Strategy through both science and management initiatives.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar198

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 13 August 2018

Join us Tuesday, September 11, 2018  5 pm US EDT/2 pm US PDT/9 pm UTC - Wednesday, September 12, 7 am Australian EST for a webinar on Climate-driven species redistribution in marine systems by Gretta Pecl of the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and Centre for Marine Socioecology in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

Climate change is driving a pervasive global redistribution of the planet’s species, with manifest implications from genes to ecosystems across multiple temporal and spatial scales. Species redistribution defies current approaches to natural resource management that focus on restoring systems to a baseline and are often based on boundaries drawn in the past. Changes in distribution of marine resources creates difficulties, particularly when species cross jurisdictional boundaries and where historical catch rates and assessment processes may no longer be appropriate. Moreover, we are still a long way from understanding the suite of mechanisms and processes underlying the high variation in rate and magnitude of shifts. We have even less understanding of how species redistribution will drive changes in ecological communities and further complicate aspirations of ecosystem-based management. Climate-driven species redistribution therefore presents intriguing ecological challenges to unravel, as well as fundamental philosophical questions and urgent issues related to ecology, fisheries, food security, Indigenous and local livelihoods, and many other aspects of human well-being. This presentation will highlight some of the progress with adaptation planning and adaptation actions at international, national and local scales, including the need for an interdisciplinary approach and stakeholder engagement.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar197

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 06 August 2018

Join us Tuesday, October 2, 1pm US EDT / 10am US PDT / 5pm UTC for a webinar on Managing Global Acidification on a Regional Scale: How the US Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Coastal Acidification Networks (MACAN and NECAN) Are Working to Understand Impacts through Partnerships.

The chemistry of the ocean is changing. Carbon dioxide released through emissions and deforestation is absorbed and dissolved into the ocean. The regional Coastal Acidification Networks of the US Northeast and Mid-Atlantic (NECAN and MACAN) are consortiums of scientists, marine industry, and resource managers with a central goal of sharing information to better understand the impacts of acidification to appropriately manage and adapt to these conditions. Coordinators for NECAN and MACAN will discuss how these regional efforts work towards identifying and pursuing opportunities to understand coastal and ocean acidification in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, building upon the skills and interests of individual members and providing a forum to share best practices in monitoring, sampling collection, and researching effects to collectively meet the challenges of our changing coastal and ocean waters.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar196

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team