Featured Image Credit: Wikicommons
By K. Snyder
The Gulf of Maine is one of the most incredible ecosystems in America. Following the coast of Maine from Cape Cod all the way north to Nova Scotia and extending down to 1500 feet, the northern gulf supports such iconic species as shrimp, rock crabs, cod, oysters, soft-shelled clams, and of course, lobsters. The unique location of the gulf and the frequent influxes of deep, cold water make this area a nutrient rich paradise for cold-loving ocean species.
But in recent years, scientists have noticed some troubling trends that could spell ecological and economic disaster for all residents in the Gulf.
A slight shift in ocean currents, attributed to climate change, has cut the Gulf off from its steady supply of cold water from the depths. Instead, warmer water has been allowed to collect in the undersea crevasses, gradually warming the entire Gulf.
Since 2004, the Gulf of Maine has warmed faster than nearly anywhere else in the world. In the past four years, temperatures have consistently been 4 degrees above average. This may not seem like a big shift but the difference between 29 degrees and 33 degrees is the difference between a snowball and a puddle.
Small as it may seem, Gulf residents are responding to this change. Lobster populations have shifted north, disrupting a cornerstone of Maine’s economy and a keystone of the ocean community. Non-native species such as Asian green crabs have moved further north, out-competing native crabs because of their tolerance of warmer waters. Populations of shrimp have all but vanished and mollusks like mussels and oysters develop shells vital to their protection painfully slowly in the acidifying waters. Even plant and plankton communities are changing as shifts in nutrients make it difficult for native species to thrive as they once did.
“Changes are coming – it’s inevitable,” says Lou Van Guelpen, curator of fishes at the Huntsman Marine Science Center in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. “We don’t really know what their effects will be, but they’re happening faster and they’re happening now.”
But despite the bad news, Mainers are taking action. Even though the state government has been slow to act, local organizations are stepping up to limit pollution, monitor ocean acidification, and experiment with new techniques to reduce the acidity of the gulf waters.
“If we limit pollution, if we reduce excess nutrients in our rivers, if we ensure the coastal habitats to be as robust as they can be, that’s going to help the system to be resilient,” says Matt Abbott, the Fundy Baykeeper at the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, an environmental group. “Even if we don’t know exactly what is going to happen, we know changes are occurring and that the system needs to be as robust as it can.”
This story was adapted from an article series in the Portland Press Herald. Find the original article series on the Gulf of Maine here.