Climate impacts on global hot spots of marine biodiversity

Examines global distributions of 1729 species of fish, 124 marine mammals, and 330 seabirds
Identifies six marine regions ("hot spots") of exceptional biodiversity
- Defines hot spots as regions of marine biodiversity with values of species richness over the upper 95th percentile, which was a threshold that identified relatively small and compact marine areas of special concern within the main ocean basins (that is, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Atlantic Ocean)
Examines more than three decades’ worth of information on sea surface temperature (SST), ocean currents, and marine productivity
Derives spatially explicit information on the cumulative impacts of climate change
Finds that overall, hot spots of marine biodiversity coincide with areas most severely affected by global warming
Investigates spatiotemporal variation in fishing captures using Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) data spanning the last 60 years
Results suggest that hot spots of marine biodiversity are also among areas most threatened by both global warming and human fishing pressure
Results can guide targeted conservation at the local, regional, and global scale

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