Predicting impacts of climate change on the biogeographic patterns of representative species richness in Prydz Bay-Amery Ice Shelf

The research on the biological ecology of the Prydz Bay-Amery Ice Shelf in East Antarctica is inadequate under the increasing threat from climate change,especially for Antarctic fish and krill.The Dynamic Bioclimatic Envelope Model(DBEM)has been widely used in predicting the variation of species distribution and abundance in ocean and land under climate change;it can quantify the spatiotemporal changes of multi population under different climate emission scenarios by identifying the environmental preferences of species.The species richness and geographical pattern of six Antarctic representative species around Prydz Bay-Amery ice shelf were studied under RCP 8.5 and RCP 2.6 emission scenarios from 1970 to 2060 using Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory(GFDL),Institut Pierre Simon Laplace(IPSL),and Max Planck Institute(MPI)earth system models.The results showed that the species richness decreased as a whole,and the latitude gradient moved to the pole.The reason is that ocean warming,sea ice melting,and human activities accelerate the distribution changes of species biogeographical pattern,and the habitat range of krill,silverfish,and other organisms is gradually limited,which further leads to the change of species composition and the decrease of biomass.It is obvious that priority should be given to Prydz Bay-Amery ice shelf in the planning of Marine Protected Areas(MPAs)in East Antarctica.

Modelling the variation of demersal fi sh distribution in Yellow Sea under climate change

Climate change can aff ect fi sh individuals or schools,and consequently the fi sheries.Studying future changes of fi sh distribution and abundance helps the scientifi c management of fi sheries.The dynamic bioclimate envelope model(DBEM)was used to identify the“environmental preference profi les”of the studied species based on outputs from three Earth system models(ESMs).Changes in ocean conditions in climate change scenarios could be transformed by the model into those in relative abundance and distribution of species.Therefore,the distributional response of 17 demersal fi shes to climate change in the Yellow Sea could be projected from 1970 to 2060.Indices of latitudinal centroid(LC)and mean temperature of relative abundance(MTRA)were used to represent the results conducted by model.Results present that 17 demersal fi sh species in the Yellow Sea show a trend of anti-poleward shift under both low-emission scenario(RCP 2.6)and high-emission scenario(RCP 8.5)from 1970 to 2060,with the projected average LC in three ESMs shifting at a rate of-1.17±4.55 and-2.76±3.82 km/decade,respectively,which is contrary to the previous projecting studies of fi shes suggesting that fi shes tend to move toward higher latitudes under increased temperature scenarios.The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass could be the major driver resulting in the shift,which shows a potential signifi cance to fi shery resources management and marine conservation,and provides a new perspective in fi sh migration under climate change.

A study on aquaculture industry regulations and policies of globally representative states

Aquaculture has a long history,and has achieved rapid development from 1950 to 2010,especially since the 1990s.Nevertheless,aquaculture has also seen a series of problems emerge.Inevitably,aquaculture interacts with the environment and society.Rapid development requires that close attention be paid to potential environmental and social impacts and their prevention or mitigation.The development and management of aquaculture is related closely with a variety of legal and institutional arrangements.Thus,aquaculture raises numerous legal and institutional issues.This paper explores actual legal and institutional practices of global representative aquaculture countries and provides a comprehensive account of the legislation and policies of different countries.Further,this paper reveals that the optimal legal framework for aquaculture is in line with related international regulations(especially the soft laws)and strictly operational,and the corresponding policy framework should establish early access and warning,as well as post assessment and feedback mechanisms.