With the aim of generating a third report on the World Ocean Assessment (WOA), José Luis Iriarte, principal investigator of the Dynamic Research Center for High Latitude Marine Ecosystems (IDEAL) of the Universidad Austral de Chile ( UACh) and Renato Quiñones, director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR) recently participated in an event organized by the United Nations (UN) in Lisbon, Portugal.
This report, which will be released in 2025, is prepared by interdisciplinary teams worldwide, who provide scientific information on the state of the marine environment, with the aim of supporting decision-making and actions aimed at conservation. and use of oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Iriarte acts as lead author of the “Fjord System” chapter of WOA III. In this way, the researcher is looking for world experts and co-authors of the chapter from the different fjords of the planet such as Norway, Alaska and New Zealand, in addition to Chile.
“This chapter will consider an introduction of the current state of the various systems in scientific terms. Subsequently, we will delve into what the current environmental changes are, what gaps exist in knowledge and the implications for these ecosystems under the climate change scenario,” says the professor at the Aquaculture Institute of the UACh.
This chapter hopes to provide an overview of the state of the different fjord systems on a global scale, with emphasis on the changes that are currently observed due to natural and anthropogenic pressures, uncertainties towards the understanding of their main functions and their sustainability in time.
“Fjords are highly productive and play an important role in carbon capture processes: they help mitigate global warming and host unique habitats, therefore, their study is essential,” adds the scientist.
