[ENVS] Maine’s Kelp Forests: A Case Study in Global Change Biology

In many regions, rapid ocean warming has triggered the collapse of foundation species and the emergence of novel species, processes, and ecosystem states. Yet, the impacts of emergent "state shifts" on the ecology of our coastal seas, and their recovery potential, remain difficult to predict and manage. In this talk, Dr. Douglas Rasher will discuss a warming-induced state shift that is now unfolding within kelp forests of the Gulf of Maine - one of the fastest warming ocean basins globally. Over the last decade, our science has revealed the dynamics and drivers of this novel state shift, as well as how its effects ripple across all trophic levels, altering ecosystem functioning and resilience. Dr. Rasher will conclude his talk by discussing his work’s implications for kelp forest conservation and restoration, and more broadly how research in the Gulf of Maine can inform the ways in which humans predict and manage global change.