Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 30

When human activities put too much pressure on ecosystems, they can reach a #tippingpoint. Once this tipping point is passed. It is extremely difficult to return the ecosystem to its previous state. This means that we need to manage ecosystems to avoid #tippingpoints.

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 30

Second activity: There is no right answer for this scenario. There are many possibilities and based on local legislations there may be rules to abide by. However, it is always very complicated once a system has passed a #tippingpoint
Remember: WE NEED TO AVOID #tippingpoints

1

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 30

Thanks for all who contributed.
Answers to the first activity:
Question 1: 4
Question 2: 2
Question 3: 2
Question 4: 4

1

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 30

So… We have reached the end of this #ges4seas #mooc #tipp
We hope that this provided a good source of knowledge on #tippingpoints
We also hope that you had fun with the activities. The answers are below👇👇

1 1

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 27

Today in #tipp #ges4seas #mooc, you are in the leader.
Get your role-play hat on and follow the link. Your choices could mean the survival or collapse of an estuary.
Read the scenario and tell us what you think is the best way forward
Hint: tough decision […]

Original post on fediscience.org

fediscience.org

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 25

These great initiatives are extremely helpful.
However, even they may struggle with ecosystems that passed a #tippingpoint .

It takes a HUGE effort to reduce pressures enough for the ecosystem to shift back.
The point 👉 IMPORTANT TO AVOID TIPPING POINTS in the first place!

1 1

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 25

We also now have the Nature Restoration Law. Another great initiative😃
Europe will invest a lot in restoration now 👍 However, what we know is that recovery can start early but it takes a LONG time to rebuild a fully self-sustaining ecosystem […]

Original post on fediscience.org

fediscience.org

1 1 1

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 25

Europe launched the NATURA 2000 to protect ecosystems. A great initiative😃 But it remains difficult to highly protect ecosystem.
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/natura-2000/the-natura-2000-protected-areas-network
Can you spot the HIGHLY or FULLY protected areas across European seas?

1

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 25

To help ecosystems, there are two common practices:
☝️Protect from disturbance (e,g., Marine Protected Areas #marineprotectedareas)
✌️Restoration

The problems:
1. We cannot strictly protect everywhere. It is simply not feasible.
2. We cannot realistically restore everywhere.

1

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 25

Now you know that once we reach a tipping point #tipp, getting back to where we were is Very Difficult🤔🤔
The ecosystem can change so much. We will need to reduce the pressures a lot. Even then, it might take YEARS!
Nonetheless we should NOT give up!
Read on👇👇

1 2 2

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 23

Time to show what you’ve got—quiz mode: activated!😁 #tipp
Follow the link below to the quiz and feel free to refer back to previous posts.
Have fun! The answers will come at the end of the #mooc
Choose to answer anonymously
https://app.wooclap.com/KZANBE/questionnaires/683db0b7ac164e53f6b4ffe3

1 1 1

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 20

If we do not reduce nutrient discharge drastically, think of all the changes that will occur and all organisms that will likely perish and not come back.

2 5

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 20

If the hypoxia persists, suddenly the biological and chemical processes, and the plant/animal populations changes so much that the whole system goes in a different environmental state. That is, the system tumbles past the tipping point.

1 2 7

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 20

This hypoxia starts cause the animals and plants to suffer because their body does not have enough oxygen. The hypoxia also changes the biological (activity of bacteria) and chemical (nutrient cycling) processes in the sediment and water column.

1 2 4

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 20

Excess nutrients from the agriculture and aquaculture end up accumulating in the ocean and cause microscopic algae to increase very quickly (eutrophication). Green Water. When these algae die, they decrease the oxygen from the water column and cause a deficit in oxygen (hypoxia)

1 2 4

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 20

Hypoxia in the Baltic
The #BalticSea is susceptible to severe hypoxia because of a long history of excess nutrient discharge from land.
https://www.egu.eu/news/414/new-study-oxygen-loss-in-the-coastal-baltic-sea-is-unprecedentedly-severe/
https://youtu.be/P6qpvoi4HmA

New study: oxygen loss in the coastal Baltic Sea is “unprecedentedly severe”

The Baltic Sea is home to some of the world’s largest dead zones, areas of oxygen-starved waters where most marine animals can’t survive. But while parts of this sea have long suffered from low oxygen levels, a new study by a team in Finland and Germany shows that oxygen loss in coastal areas over the past century is unprecedented in the last 1500 years. The research is published today in the European Geosciences Union journal Biogeosciences.

www.egu.eu

1 5 6

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 18

Next, we will look at hypoxia. Catch you soon👊

1

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 18

Here is a cool article for more information:
https://europe.oceana.org/baltic-cod/

Baltic Cod

At present, western Baltic cod are being overfished and the stock is showing signs of very low biomass levels. The eastern stock is even...

europe.oceana.org

1 1

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 18

Collapse of Cod fisheries in the Western #BalticSea
This example shows how the Cod biomass reached a tipping point around 1985. Intensive fishing pressure pushed the system too far and recovery was not possible.
Sounds familiar? #NorthSea
Full study […]

[Original post on fediscience.org]

1 1

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 18

Let’s look at some REAL examples of ecosystems reaching tipping points from the Baltic Sea #tipp
Over the years, the Baltic Sea has been exposed to many pressures that have changed it drastically.

Let's look at:
☝️Fisheries
✌️Hypoxia

1 1 2

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 16

The point is when we increase pressures on ecosystems, we cause changes to the interactions between all species and pressures which can severely shift the ecosystem. It becomes very difficult to know how/when the ecosystem shifted. It is even more difficult to shift it back.

1 3

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 16

Things can get EVEN MORE complicated!
That’s when we have MANY PRESSURES acting together to change MANY SPECIES simultaneously🫣 We then use more complex statistical analyses😅

1 1 3

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 16

But things can get complicated!
When we have many species changing along the timeline or the pressure.
Then we use more complex community-based statistics to identify when the community shifted.

1 1 3

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 16

Graphs and statistics help to identify tipping points in monitoring data. Some cases can be easy to detect, especially if we only have one species along one timeline or one pressure (like above). We use statistics that allow us to detect when the green line drops.

1 1 3

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · Jun 16

How can we detect Tipping Points? #tipp

1. Detection along timelines. E.g., when the high biomass of a macroalgae suddenly decreases from one year to another and stays low.

2. Detection with increasing pressure. E.g., increasing fishing pressure suddenly reduce fish biomass.

1 3 5