There is no other topic in the history of PICES or ICES that has had a more serious need for cooperation on a marine science issue of global significance. ICES and PICES must respond to the need for credible, objective and innovative science advice on the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems. This advice will foster management and policies that will preserve these resources and habitats for the benefit of future generations.
The objectives of the initiative are:
- To advance the scientific capacity on the three main challenges identified above by engaging the PICES and ICES scientific community in focused workshops, theme/topic sessions and symposia that target key uncertainties and technical barriers that impact the predictive skill of ocean models used to project the impacts of climate change.
- To effectively communicate this capacity to clients, Member Countries, stakeholders and the broader scientific community.
- To facilitate an international effort to design data collection networks at the spatial and temporal scales needed to monitor, assess and project climate change impacts on marine ecosystems.
- To facilitate international collaboration to design and implement comparative analysis of marine ecosystem responses to climate change through modelling and coordinated process studies.
