Experts propose method to monitor ocean health

It's important to closely monitor how climate change and our increasing use of the oceans are affecting important marine resources and ecosystems. A new Global Change Biology paper identifies "biological essential ocean variables" that can be measured to provide key information to help effectively mitigate or manage the detrimental effects we may be having.

The variables may help simplify communication among stakeholders around the globe and galvanize support for implementing a valuable global observing system.

"We need robust, sustained, and coordinated observations focused on specific measurements to assess changes in marine ecosystems. This will help meet the requirements of the Sustainable Development Goals and other critical international agreements and platforms that are related to climate change, biodiversity, and ecosystem services," said lead author Dr. Patricia Miloslavich, of the University of Tasmania in Australia and the Universidad Simón Bolívar in Venezuela.