MBL: On the Frontline of Climate Change
Climate change is happening now. Its impacts are clear.
With a deep understanding of Cape Cod ecosystems borne from decades of research, MBL scientists are best positioned to predict and mitigate the impacts of climate change on the region.
The era from 1901-2016 is the warmest in the history of modern civilization and the last few years have brought record-breaking, climate-related weather extremes: hurricanes, floods, wildfires. These trends are expected to continue, costing trillions in property damage and taking a large toll on human life.
“Every region of the country is being affected in some way by climate change,” says Jerry Melillo, a Marine Biological Laboratory Distinguished Scientist and a prominent leader in preparing the U.S. National Climate Assessments.
In the Northeast, climate-related impacts are taking the form of heat waves, heavy downpours, and sea level rise. The changes are strongly felt on Cape Cod, which is defined by its natural beauty: The Cape’s beaches, bays, and salt marshes are essential to the region’s ecology and economy. Climate change threatens the very integrity of Cape Cod ecosystems that are already stressed by other impacts, such as fish kills and habitat loss caused by excess nutrients (especially nitrogen) running off from land.
Locations of MBL climate change research on Cape Cod. Click the blue markers to learn more about each location.
For more than 40 years, MBL scientists have been on the frontline of research on Cape Cod and worldwide to understand how ecosystems function, respond to stress, and recover—or not.
Today, working in partnership with many other groups, they are leaders in exploring how Cape ecosystems can maintain resiliency in the face of climate change, in order to minimize disruption to the region’s residents, economy, and its renown quality of life.
Want to learn more?
Head to our website to learn more about how Marine Biological Laboratory is studying and fighting climate change.
