Research project Research school: Perspectives on Climate Change in Coastal Seas

The coastal zones contain important ecosystems and key habitats where a good status of water quality and sustained biodiversity corresponds to high societal values, such as recreation, tourism and fishing. These areas represent less than 10% of the oceans surface area, however, they are among the most effective realms on Earth at sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. Thus, managed properly, these ecosystems can provide ecosystem services to society, including being important corner-stones in climate change mitigation, especially for countries with extended coastlines.

If degraded by anthropogenic pressures, they instead become a carbon source releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases, re-enforcing global warming. Scientific attention has been drawn to these processes and complex, heterogeneous areas of the Baltic Sea, where many questions are to be further explored and understood, not least in a societal context.

Within this framework Stockholm University’s research school Perspectives on climate change in coastal seas introduces doctoral students to examine these questions from multiple angles. This educational programme present an overview of climate change and its interplay with coastal biodiversity and processes, along with insights into socioeconomic values, various policy processes, and associated legal instruments. The students are given a transdisciplinary overview of the connections between different research perspectives and how scientific knowledge is applied in environmental management, economic assessments, and governmental decision-making. Additionally, focus lies on identifying where and how researchers can engage in processes that impact marine- and climate management decisions.