Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
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Royal Netherlands
Institute for Sea Research

Adapting ecosystems

Whether ecosystems can withstand the threats imposed by the combined effects of global climate change  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  questions  in  ecosystem  science. For instance: will  ecosystems recover from severe disturbances caused by storms or even hurricanes? Will habitats that are crucial to estuarine biodiversity persist? Can ecosystems crossing tipping points and collapsing to  degraded states be avoided? We study how biological-physical feedback interactions  shape the resilience of ecosystems of estuarine and delta systems. 

Self-organization underlies the adaptive capacity of estuarine ecosystems
Many estuarine ecosystems, such as mussel and seagrass beds, display remarkable spatial patterns. These patterns are not just beautiful, they allow these ecosystems to persist in adverse conditions.
Discovering tipping points in real ecosystems
Estuarine ecosystems are found where land meets sea. Increasing environmental pressures, such as the combined effects of climate change (sea level rise, acidification, weather extremes, etc), may overwhelm the adaptive capacity of these ecosystem...
How organism traits determine ecosystem dynamics
Many marine species have specific traits that allow them to modify their local environment. These so-called ecosystem engineers shape the intertidal landscape (BioGeoMorphic landscapes) and by doing so, they can have profound effects...
Signatures of life: adapting seascapes
In the field observations often lack sufficient scale when it comes to understanding ecosystems. We use remote sensing, such as satellite images, near-surface camera data and airborne surveys to elucidate estuarine and coastal processes at a...

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