CliMaDiv · Climate Change Impact on Marine Diversity: Phytoplankton adaptation to resource variability

Climate change is reshaping the ocean environment for phytoplankton by altering resource availability through intensified stratification and increased climatic variability and extremes. These changes threaten phytoplankton diversity, which plays a vital role in sustaining ecosystem functions and services. However, the links between climate-driven environmental changes and phytoplankton diversity remain poorly understood. CliMaDiv will generate critical new knowledge by linking resource variability patterns with temporal strategies of phytoplankton and assessing how phytoplankton communities are impacted by climate change. Using the ECCO-Darwin global ocean modeling framework, NASA’s PACE hyperspectral observations, and the uniquely rich time series of the HCMR Poseidon observatory, CliMaDiv will pursue three research objectives: (RO1) assess the impacts of climate-change-induced resource variability on marine phytoplankton diversity (1992–present); (RO2) map the global biogeography of phytoplankton temporal strategies and ecosystem responses; and (RO3) integrate modeling and in-situ observations to elucidate the mechanistic links between resource variability and biodiversity of phytoplankton. To maximize impact beyond the scientific community, the CliMaDiv Outlook platform will communicate results to European policy and research programs, stakeholders, and the public, supporting informed decision-making and broader societal awareness.