The #ocean provides for all of us, but that is not the end of the story. We are part of the ecosystem and we need to respect that. The fish 🐟 we eat, the corals 🪸 that protect our coast, with our actions we influence them, harm them and in doing so can harm ourselves.

By managing all human activities together, we can find smarter, more effective ways to protect and restore our oceans. 🌊 This ensures the sea can keep providing all the things we rely on: the food we eat, the air we breathe, and places for recreation, for […] [Original post on fediscience.org]

Without EBM, we often manage with 'tunnel vision'. A law to protect one species may unintentionally harm another, or a new coastal industry could pollute fishing grounds. This fragmented approach often fails to solve the root problems of ecosystem decline. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsS3YvEWHEg

How can we effectively manage human pressures on our marine ecosystems? 🌊 Sector-by-sector approaches often miss the bigger picture! Following our previous #moocs, next moth we start to explore Ecosystem-based Management (#ebm), an integrated approach that considers the whole system. #ges4seas

So… We have reached the end of this #ges4seas #mooc #tipp We hope that this provided a good source of knowledge on #tippingpoints We also hope that you had fun with the activities. The answers are below👇👇

Today in #tipp #ges4seas #mooc, you are in the leader. Get your role-play hat on and follow the link. Your choices could mean the survival or collapse of an estuary. Read the scenario and tell us what you think is the best way forward Hint: tough decision […]

Now you know that once we reach a tipping point #tipp, getting back to where we were is Very Difficult🤔🤔 The ecosystem can change so much. We will need to reduce the pressures a lot. Even then, it might take YEARS! Nonetheless we should NOT give up! Read on👇👇

Time to show what you’ve got—quiz mode: activated!😁 #tipp Follow the link below to the quiz and feel free to refer back to previous posts. Have fun! The answers will come at the end of the #mooc Choose to answer anonymously https://app.wooclap.com/KZANBE/questionnaires/683db0b7ac164e53f6b4ffe3

Hypoxia in the Baltic The #BalticSea is susceptible to severe hypoxia because of a long history of excess nutrient discharge from land. https://www.egu.eu/news/414/new-study-oxygen-loss-in-the-coastal-baltic-sea-is-unprecedentedly-severe/ https://youtu.be/P6qpvoi4HmA

Let’s look at some REAL examples of ecosystems reaching tipping points from the Baltic Sea #tipp Over the years, the Baltic Sea has been exposed to many pressures that have changed it drastically. Let's look at: ☝️Fisheries ✌️Hypoxia

How can we detect Tipping Points? #tipp 1. Detection along timelines. E.g., when the high biomass of a macroalgae suddenly decreases from one year to another and stays low. 2. Detection with increasing pressure. E.g., increasing fishing pressure suddenly reduce fish biomass.

✌️The second is a PITCHFORK bifurcation. This is where the cumulation of pressure takes the ecosystem to an unstable state where it could tip one way or another depending on small perturbations in the ecosystem.

A bifurcation is when the ecosystem can diverge from the way it normally functions and starts functioning in a different way. It is like the parting of the ways on a road that splits up. That's where the word comes from! Tipping points #tipp occur at the bifurcation.

#tipp #mooc Pressures create changes in ecosystems (e.g., trawling reduces fish abundances and biodiversity). But the ecosystem can often bounce back (e.g., fish and biodiversity grow back). It is #resilient The problem is when there are too many pressures on an ecosystem

Welcome to the #ges4seas #mooc on Tipping Points #tipp Well, what is a Tipping Point? It is a point after which an ecosystem suddenly shifts from one state to another, Going back to the original state is difficult: SOMETIMES IMPOSSIBLE. See the thread for more details👇

One drop… One shift… everything changes! #tipp Last reminder. Make sure you tune in and we start the journey together. Exciting information, online exercises, and much more. Catch you soon! #ges4seas #mooc

It’s subtle…until it’s not!🙀 #ges4seas #mooc · How do we reach tipping points? · What is the difference between phase shift and state shift? · How can we detect them? · Why should we avoid them? We’ll discover all that through exercises and by sharing opinions. 👉Stay tuned!!!

Tick…Tick…TIP. Don’t miss it! It starts on June 5th. The #ges4seas #mooc is back, and we are shifting to a new phase. We will explore how marine ecosystems can suddenly change when they reach a TIPPING POINT. #worldbiodiversityday

This year, we will again give two MOOCs. The topic of the first one is: Tipping points: why it is best not to reach them! This MOOC will be prepared by the University of Århus in Denmark and we will use the Baltic Sea as focus area.

Today is the "International Day of Women and Girls in Science". Thew GES4SEAS project has quite a number of them! Some have already and will again be part of our MOOC programme.

We have news for you! The next MOOCs will now also be available on the new BlueSky network. We have enabled a so-called bridge to that network. If you are on BlueSky and want to follow our MOOCs there, you just need to follow this bridged account: @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy Of […]