The effect of climate change on the distribution and abundance of marine species in the OSPAR Maritime Area

This report examines the evidence of the effect of climate change on the distribution and abundance of marine species in the OSPAR Commission Maritime Area (OSPAR Maritime Area). It focuses primarily on effects that may be linked to changes in sea surface temperature (SST). It is the product of many scientists working within the ICES framework, who examined long-term datasets, often developed and formed from the work of other scientists. The main conclusions are that oceanographic conditions do influence the marine biota in the OSPAR Maritime Area, and that oceanographic conditions are changing. There was evidence to support this in both the narrative and the analytical information examined by ICES throughout the OSPAR Maritime Area. Effects of climate change varied from weak to very strong, particularly when environmental conditions were exceptionally cold or warm.