1. INTRODUCTION
Marine ecosystems cover 71 per cent of the Earth’s surface,
yet our knowledge of their response to climate
change is a mere drop in the ocean compared with terrestrial
systems [1,2]. In the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report in
2007, less than 1 per cent of the synthesis information
on impacts of climate change on natural systems came
from marine life [1,3]. However, there is increasing evidence
suggesting that marine plants and animals could
respond as fast or faster than their terrestrial counterparts,
from both observations [3–5] and theory [6].
The need for better coverage of marine systems is compelling,
given the ecosystem services provided by the
world’s oceans and the imminent fifth IPCC assessment
report. Here, we describe the major advances from the
National Center of Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
(NCEAS) workshop series, and discuss emerging
research directions for the discipline of climate change
ecology. Specific questions included: (i) Are marine
species and communities responding to climate change
as anticipated? (ii) How do rates of responses compare
to terrestrial systems? (iii) Which taxonomic groups
and biomes are most sensitive? and (iv) How can we
improve the design and execution of climate change ecology
studies to strengthen the robustness of conclusions?