Scientists Find Potential For Catastrophic Shifts In Pacific Ecosystems

Opening the door to a new way of understanding ocean processes and managing and protecting marine resources, a group of researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD, has developed a groundbreaking analysis of the North Pacific Ocean and how dramatic changes can unfold across its waters.
The study, published in the May 19 issue of the journal Nature, holds implications for a diverse body of groups, from scientists who study physical ocean processes such as El Niño events to environmental managers charged with overseeing and sustaining ecosystem resources such as fisheries. Surprisingly, it relates to many disciplines involving complex webs of mutually interacting parts, such as ecosystems and world financial markets, which have the potential for unexpected collapse and irreversible change.