Working Group 28: Development of Ecosystem Indicators to Characterize Ecosystem Responses to Multiple Stressors
  • Acronym: WG 28
  • Parent Committees: BIO MEQ
  • Term: Jun. 2011 - Dec. 2015
  • Co-Chairs:
    Ian Perry (Canada)
    Motomitsu Takahashi (Japan)
Motivation

Marine ecosystems of the North Pacific, both coastal and offshore, are impacted by multiple emerging stressors, such as increased temperature, change in iron supply, harmful algal bloom events, invasive species, hypoxia/eutrophication and ocean acidification. These multiple stressors can act synergistically to change ecosystem structure, function and dynamics in unexpected ways that differ from single stressor responses. Further, it is expected that stressors will vary by region, and critical stressors in PICES’ regional ecosystems should be identified and characterized to allow comparative studies on North Pacific ecosystem responses to multiple stressors that will help determine how ecosystems might change in the future and identify ecosystems that are vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic forcing.

This Working Group can address emerging issues from WG-22 on Iron Supply and its Impact on Biogeochemistry and Ecosystems in the North Pacific Ocean (iron chemistry in low pH ocean, anthropogenic dust flux), WG-23 on Comparative Ecology of Krill in Coastal and Oceanic Waters Around the Pacific Rim (hypoxia impact on euphausiids), and WG-21 on Non-indigenous Aquatic Species (non-indigenous marine species) thereby highlighting the need for integrative studies.

Terms of Reference
  1. Identify and characterize the spatial (and temporal) extent of critical stressors in North Pacific ecosystems both coastal and offshore and identify locations where multiple stressors interact. Identify trends in these stressors if possible.
  2. Review and identify categories of indicators needed to document status and trends of ecosystem change at the most appropriate spatial scale (e.g., coastal, regional, basin).
  3. Using criteria agreed to at the 2011 PICES FUTURE Inter-sessional Workshop in Honolulu, determine the most appropriate weighting for indicators used for:
    a. documenting status and trends
    b. documenting extent of critical stressors
    c. assessing ecosystem impacts/change
  4. Review existing frameworks to link stressors to impacts/change, assessing their applicability to North Pacific ecosystems and identify the most appropriate for application to North Pacific ecosystems.
  5. Determine if ecosystem indicators provide a mechanistic understanding of how ecosystems respond to multiple stressors and evaluate the potential to identify vulnerable ecosystem components.
  6. For 1-2 case studies, identify and characterize how ecosystems respond to multiple stressors using indicators identified above. Are responses to stressors simply linear or are changes non-linear such that small additional stressors result in much larger ecosystem responses? Do different parts of the ecosystem respond differently (e.g., trophic level responses)? How do stressors interact?
  7. Publish a final report summarizing results with special attention to FUTURE needs. This WG will focus primarily on delivery of FUTURE Questions 3 and 1 (outlined below).

Linkages to the FUTURE Science Plan :

  1. What determines an ecosystem’s intrinsic resilience and vulnerability to natural and anthropogenic forcing?
  2. How do ecosystems respond to natural and anthropogenic forcing, and how might they change in the future?
  3. How do human activities affect coastal ecosystems and how are societies affected by changes in these ecosystems?
Products
Annual Meetings

Reports

2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

Sessions and Workshops

PICES-2014:
S3Tipping points: defining reference points for ecological indicators of multiple stressors in coastal and marine ecosystem

PICES-2013:
S8, Ecosystem indicators to characterise ecosystem responses to multiple stressors in North Pacific marine ecosystems

PICES-2012:
S10, Ecosystem responses to multiple stressors in the North Pacific
W1, Identifying critical multiple stressors of North Pacific marine ecosystems and indicators to assess their impacts
Symposia / Inter-sessional Workshops

NEASPEC/NOWPAP Joint Workshop on Marine Biodiversity Conservation and Marine Protected Areas in the Northwest Pacific [download, pdf]

PICES Press

Summer 2014, Vol. 22, No. 2
OSM Session on Identifying multiple pressures and system responses in North Pacific marine ecosystems

Summer 2014, Vol. 22, No. 2
OSM Workshop on Bridging the divide between models and decision-making

Summer 2013, Vol. 21, No. 2
Workshop on Marine Biodiversity Conservation and Marine Protected Areas in the Northwest Pacific

PICES Scientific Reports
PICES Sci. Rep. No. 55
Motomitsu Takahashi and R. Ian Perry (Eds.) 2019
Report of Working Group 28 on Development of Ecosystem Indicators to Characterize Ecosystem Responses to Multiple Stressors
Other Publications

Developing Ecosystem Indicators for Responses to Multiple Stressors
Oceanography 27(4): 116-133

Members as of December 2015
Jennifer L. Boldt
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Pacific Biological Station
3190 Hammond Bay Rd.
Nanaimo, BC
Canada V9T 6N7
E-mail: Jennifer.Boldt@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Ian Perry
WG-28 Co-Chair
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Pacific Biological Station
3190 Hammond Bay Rd.
Nanaimo, BC
Canada V9T 6N7
E-mail: Ian.Perry@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Min Chao
East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, CAFS
300 Jungong Rd., Yangpu District
Shanghai
China, 200090
E-mail: chaom@eastfishery.ac.cn
Baisong Chen
Research Center of Information and Economy, CAFS
150 Qingta Rd., Fengtai District
Beijing
China, 100141
E-mail: chenbs@cafs.ac.cn
Honghui Huang
South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, CAFS
231 West Xingang Rd.
Guangzhou, Guangdong
China, 510300
E-mail: huanghh@scsfri.ac.cn
Chaolun Li
Institute of Oceanology, CAS
7 Nanhai Rd.
Qingdao, Shandong
China, 266071
E-mail: lcl@qdio.ac.cn
Cuihua Wang
East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, CAFS
300 Jungong Rd., Yangpu District
Shanghai
China, 200090
E-mail: wchweiweizi@163.com
Heng Zhang
East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, CAFS
300 Jungong Rd., Yangpu District
Shanghai
China, 200090
E-mail: zhangziqian0601@163.com
Sachihiko Itoh
Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute
The University of Tokyo
5-1-5 Kashiwanoha
Kashiwa, Chiba
Japan 277-8564
E-mail: itohsach@aori.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Kazuhiko Mochida
National Research Institute of Fisheries and Environment of Inland Sea
Fisheries Research Agency
2-17-5 Maruishi
Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima
Japan 739-0452
E-mail: kmochida@fra.affrc.go.jp
Motomitsu Takahashi
WG-28 Co-Chair
Fisheries Resources and Oceanography Division
Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute, FRA
1551-8 Taira-machi
Nagasaki, Nagasaki
Japan 851-2213
E-mail: takahamt@fra.affrc.go.jp
Naoki Yoshie
Center for Marine Environmental Studies
Ehime University
2-5 Bunkyo-cho
Matsuyama, Ehime
Japan 790-8577
E-mail: yoshie.naoki.mm@ehime-u.ac.jp
Jaebong Lee
Fisheries Resources Research Division
National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI), MOF
152-1 Haean-ro, Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun
Busan
Korea, 619-705
E-mail: leejb@korea.kr
Chang-Ik Zhang
Division of Marine Production System Management
Pukyong National University
559-1 Daeyeon-3-dong, Nam-gu
Busan
Korea, 608-737
E-mail: cizhang@pknu.ac.kr
Vladimir V. Kulik
Regional Data Center
Pacific Scientific Research Fisheries Center (TINRO-Center)
4 Shevchenko Alley
Vladivostok, Primorsky Kray
Russia 690091
E-mail: vladimir.kulik@tinro-center.ru
Olga N. Lukyanova
Laboratory of Applied Ecology and Ecotoxicology
Pacific Scientific Research Fisheries Center (TINRO-Center)
4 Shevchenko Alley
Vladivostok, Primorsky Kray
Russia 690950
E-mail: olga.lukyanova@tinro-center.ru
Rebecca G. Martone
Center for Ocean Solutions
Stanford University
99 Pacific St., Suite 555E
Monterey, CA
U.S.A. 93940
E-mail: rmartone@stanford.edu
Jameal F. Samhouri
Northwest Fisheries Science Center
NOAA Fisheries
2725 Montlake Blvd. E
Seattle, WA
U.S.A. 98112
E-mail: jameal.samhouri@noaa.gov
Stephani G. Zador
Resource Ecology and Ecosystem Management
Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, NOAA
7600 Sand Point Way NE, Bldg. 4
Seattle, WA
U.S.A. 98115
E-mail: stephani.zador@noaa.gov