Matthew Hatton presents insights from StrathE2EPolar
At a FutureArcticLives seminar, researcher Matthew Hatton presented an approach to exploring the coupled effects of increased fishing pressure and climate change using the end-to-end ecosystem model, StrathE2EPolar.
Matthew Hatton's research seeks to demonstrate the capability of StrathE2EPolar, using the West of Greenland’s ecosystem as a case study. The West of Greenland is at the forefront of anthropogenic climate change. The loss of sea ice and the freshening of polar water is disrupting the food web, endangering food security and the cultural heritage of indigenous communities.
At a monthly FutureArcticLives seminar, Matthew Hatton presented an approach to exploring the coupled effects of increased fishing pressure and climate change using the end-to-end ecosystem model, StrathE2EPolar. StrathE2EPolar is driven by output from the NEMO-MEDUSA earth system model and aims to represent the entire food web, from macro to megafauna, alongside the associated environment.
The study delves into how specific aspects of the ecosystem, such as biomass of certain taxa and productivity at low to high trophic levels, could be influenced by the interaction between climate change and fishing. Maximum sustainable yields are compared for climate scenarios in the present day and the 2090s decadal period, exploring the even greater effect that fishing practices could have on the ecosystem if the current pattern of climate alterations persists.