A Framework for Understanding Climate Change Impacts on Coral Reef Social-Ecological Systems

Authors

Josh Eli Cinner, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia
Morgan S. Pratchett, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia
Nicholas Anthony James Graham, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia
Vanessa Messmer, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia
Mariana Menezes, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia
Prata Bezerra Fuentes, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia; Florida State University
Tracy Ainsworth, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia
Natalie Ban, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia; University of Victoria - Canada
Line Kolind Bay, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia; Australian Institute of Marine Science
Jessica Blythe, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia
Delphine Dissard, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia; IRD-Sorbonne Universites - Bondy, France
Simon Dunn, University of Queensland - Brisbane, Australia
Louisa Evans, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia; University of Exeter - United Kingdom
Michael Fabinyi, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia
Pedro Fidelman, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia; University of the Sunshine Cost - Maroochydore, Australia
Joana Figueiredo, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia; Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Ashley John Frisch, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia
Christopher John Fulton, Australian National University - Canberra
Christina Chemtai Hicks, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia; Stanford University
Vimoksalehi Lukoschek, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia
Jennie Mallela, Australian National University - Canberra
Aurelie Moya, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia
Lucie Penin, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia; University of Reunion Island - Saint-Denis, France
Jodie Lynn Rummer, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia
Stefan Walker, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia
David Hall Williamson, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2016

Publication Title

Regional Environmental Change

Keywords

Social-ecological, Coral reef, Climate change, Multiple impacts

ISSN

1436-3798

Volume

16

Issue/No.

4

First Page

1133

Last Page

1146

Abstract

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.

Comments

©Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

NSUWorks Citation

Josh Eli Cinner, Morgan S. Pratchett, Nicholas Anthony James Graham, Vanessa Messmer, Mariana Menezes, Prata Bezerra Fuentes, Tracy Ainsworth, Natalie Ban, Line Kolind Bay, Jessica Blythe, Delphine Dissard, Simon Dunn, Louisa Evans, Michael Fabinyi, Pedro Fidelman, Joana Figueiredo, Ashley John Frisch, Christopher John Fulton, Christina Chemtai Hicks, Vimoksalehi Lukoschek, Jennie Mallela, Aurelie Moya, Lucie Penin, Jodie Lynn Rummer, Stefan Walker, and David Hall Williamson. 2016. A Framework for Understanding Climate Change Impacts on Coral Reef Social-Ecological Systems .Regional Environmental Change , (4) : 1133 -1146. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facarticles/666.

ORCID ID

0000-0001-6597-0268

DOI

10.1007/s10113-015-0832-z