Rocky shores ecosystems
Rocky shore ecosystems span the intertidal and shallow subtidal zones of the world’s temperate coasts and are typically dominated by calcareous mussels or seaweeds (macroalgae). The high sensitivity of sessile organisms (fixed in one place, e.g. barnacles, mussels) to extreme temperature events (e.g. mass mortality and drastic biodiversity loss of mussels beds), and to acidification gives high confidence that rocky shore species are at high risk of changes in distribution and abundance. More generally, the biodiversity, structure and functioning of rocky shores ecosystems are threatened by warming, acidification, sea-level rise and extreme events. [Table SM5.8a, 5.3.5]
Undetectable to moderate (white to yellow) |
min |
0.8
|
medium confidence
|
max |
1.3
|
Local extinctions at the equatorial or warm edge of species ranges are increasingly being attributed to climate change. Intertidal rocky shores ecosystems are at a moderate risk at present. [5.3.5]
Moderate to high (yellow to red) |
min |
1.8
|
medium confidence
|
max |
2.7
|
High to very high (red to purple) |
min |
2.9
|
low confidence
|
max |
3.4
|
Rocky shores are among the coastal ecosystems expected to reach very high risk under high climate change scenarios. [5.3.7]
Chapter 5 (in particular 5.3.5) provides much more information on rocky shores ecosystems than we could summarise here in text; these risks appear well studied.
ecosystems, coast, acidification, sea-level, RKR-B.C, RKR-A
5.3.5, 5.3.7, Table SM5.8a
Bindoff, N.L., W.W.L. Cheung, J.G. Kairo, J. Arístegui, V.A. Guinder, R. Hallberg, N. Hilmi, N. Jiao, M.S. Karim, L. Levin, S. O’Donoghue, S.R. Purca Cuicapusa, B. Rinkevich, T. Suga, A. Tagliabue, and P. Williamson, 2019: Changing Ocean, Marine Ecosystems, and Dependent Communities.. In: IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, V. Masson-Delmotte, P. Zhai, M. Tignor, E. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Nicolai, A. Okem, J. Petzold, B. Rama, N.M. Weyer (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA, pp. 447-587. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157964.007
Alternative direct download: www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/3/2022/03/07_SROCC_Ch05_FINAL.pdf
Data and additional information are usually obtained from the supplementary material (SM):
Bindoff, N.L., W.W.L. Cheung, J.G. Kairo, J. Arístegui, V.A. Guinder, R. Hallberg, N. Hilmi, N. Jiao, M.S. Karim, L. Levin, S. O’Donoghue, S.R. Purca Cuicapusa, B. Rinkevich, T. Suga, A. Tagliabue, and P. Williamson, 2019: Changing Ocean, Marine Ecosystems, and Dependent Communities. Supplementary Material. In: IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, V. Masson-Delmotte, P. Zhai, M. Tignor, E. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Nicolai, A. Okem, J. Petzold, B. Rama, N.M. Weyer (eds.)], url: www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/3/2022/03/SROCC_Ch05-SM_FINAL.pdf
Disclaimer: The Embers Explorer project is not affiliated with the IPCC, is not approved or authorized by the IPCC, and is not an IPCC product. The figures presented herein are not IPCC figures, have not been subject to formal IPCC review processes and have not been endorsed by the IPCC. The IPCC does not assume any responsibility for their accuracy.
However, every effort is made to ensure that data resulting from IPCC assessments are accurately represented here, with due reference to sources.
An archive of the database on which this app is based is available on Zenodo (doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12626977) under the CC-BY 4.0 license. We have confirmed with the IPCC that this data can be distributed in this way.
Last updated on Nov. 5, 2024, 9:25 p.m..