Coastal Monitoring in the Context of Climate Change: Time-Series Efforts in Lebanon and Argentina

Abstract

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, anthropogenic activities have emitted greenhouse gases that are changing climate patterns worldwide, with exacerbated trends in some areas (MedECC, 2020). Climate change consequences are already detectable in many oceanic regions(e.g., warming, acidification, deoxygenation), and they are projected to intensify, affecting marine resources and the livelihoods of the millions of people who rely on them.Consequently, a well-equipped, multidisciplinary coastal ocean observing system is needed to monitor long-term patterns of the physical, chemical, and biological features in seawater where the most vulnerable communities and ecosystems coexist. The scientific understanding gainedfrom such an observing system can be used to help managers and policymakers make informed decisions and tailor strategies and plans that would improve the resilience of coastal areas against climate change.Here, we describe two coastal time-series stations, one located in the Mediterranean Sea and the other in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, both in regions greatly impacted by climate change.