Ocean biodiversity in the Anthropocene

Climate change is altering marine ecosystems through diverse mechanisms operating at multiple scales, from the biology of individual organisms to the physics of the global ocean circulation. The dynamic balance between physical resource supply and biological resource demand provides a powerful unifying framework for understanding a wide range of critical climate impacts on the ocean across vast spatial and temporal scales. I will synthesize recent development of a bio-physical resource framework and its application to predicting patterns of biogeography and biodiversity, and the extinction and adaptation of marine species in modern and ancient oceans. The results imply that reducing both global and local impacts on the ocean will be essential if humankind is to preserve the health and biodiversity of the future ocean. The framework also highlights the potential for physicists to engage with and contribute to interdisciplinary Earth science problems of great societal importance.