Reuters released the results of a more than year-long investigation into climate change, fish, and fisheries called Ocean Shock that we supported throughout. The data in their visualizations are from OceanAdapt and their summer flounder story builds from our NSF-funded Coastal SEES research with Kevin St. Martin, Bonnie McCay, Eli Fenichel, and Simon Levin. We’re all excited to see Mo Tamman and the rest of the team’s wonderful storytelling and science communication skills brought to bear on this important issue!
Maps of future marine animal habitats now online!
We have put all the maps behind Morley et al. 2018 PLOS ONE online now on OceanAdapt! These are projections of where 686 marine fish and invertebrate habitats will move over the rest of the century (to 2100) as a result of climate change. Some species are moving up to 1000 miles. Can you find them?
Tools of Science videos feature lab members
‘Tools of Science’ is a series of unique, educational videos designed to explore the nature and process of science through the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Videos introduce the science and engineering practices from the point of view of practicing scientists and are designed for easy integration into any STEM experience to help illustrate the non-linear, cyclical nature of science and the creative vision and skills needed to conduct scientific research. Pinsky Lab members are featured in the Modeling video, or check out them all here. The films were developed by Kay Bidle, Janice McDonnell, Kim Thamatrakoln (all at Rutgers) and Tilapia Film, Inc.
K-5 outreach activities online
Katrina has been running fun ecology & evolution activities for K-5th grade at a local school. Now they’re online for anyone to try!
Becca’s research on Science Friday
Becca Selden teamed up with DataSpire’s Kristin Hunter-Thomson to develop an educational resource with Science Friday’s educational director Ariel Zych. The resource teaches 7-12th grade high school students to interpret the impacts of warming oceans on marine ecosystems. Lab members Katrina Catalano, and Lisa McManus provided valuable scientific review of the resource prior to its publication.
Check it out at:
The ocean is changing. As it changes, the ecosystem and the species within the ocean are impacted, sometimes in surprising ways. This is a story about how some of those changes—in temperature, where fish populations live, and the fishing communities that rely upon them—could play out along the Atlantic Coast in the next century. It’s also a story about making predictions and using evidence from data. Here’s how it’s going to work:
- Read a story from the docks of New England: What’s changing?
- Meet a scientist and think like one: How do we collect data on the oceans?
- Think like a fish: Use data to model changes in fish populations.
- Make predictions: Use your model to make predictions and inform the community
New videos on climate, fishing, and New Jersey
The Rutgers Climate Institute and the New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance have put together two videos that do a nice job illustrating the impacts of climate change on the Jersey shore and fisheries:
- Climate Change and the Jersey Shore: Impacts on Coastal Communities, Ecosystems and Economies (24 min)
- Fisheries, Aquaculture and Climate Change: A New Jersey Perspective (10 min)
Becca brings students to the river
As part of her postdoc fellowship, Becca is helping kids get down and dirty with fish, climate change, and science. One of our local papers just ran an article about the field trip last week!
Celebrating World Oceans Day
Patrick is answering questions about the ocean right now on Twitter! (3-5pm EDT, 6/8/2015). Label your tweets with #MyOceanQ to reach him and other ocean experts convened by the Ocean Leadership group.
Where’s my fish? OceanAdapt website is live
Every wondered where you favorite fish is? In collaboration with NOAA Fisheries, we’ve launched a new website today called OceanAdapt that provides information on climate related changes in the distribution of the nation’s valuable marine fish stocks. There is growing concern that more needs to be done to prepare for and adapt to these changing conditions, but much of the basic information on what’s happening out in the ocean has historically been scarce and hard to find. For scientists, the website also provides easy access to the NOAA bottom trawl survey data.
NOAA has a nice article about the website, plus it was first on their splash page for a few days.
OceanAdapt is featured in the newly launched U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit (also here).
The indicators on the website are also slated to be part of the National Climate Indicators System, which is designed help track climate impacts across the U.S.
We have a bit of press generated on the site as well:
Rutgers Today
National Marine Fisheries Service
NJ.com
Providence Journal
New Jersey 101.5
Inquisitr
World Fishing
Futurity
FishnewsEU