The North Sea — A shelf sea in the Anthropocene

摘要: Abstract Global and regional change clearly affects the structure functioning of ecosystems in shelf seas. However, complex interactions within seas hinder identification unambiguous attribution observed changes to drivers. These include variability climate system, ocean dynamics, biogeochemistry, sea resource exploitation widest sense by societies. Observational time series are commonly too short, resolution, integration time, complexity models often insufficient unravel natural from anthropogenic perturbation. The North Sea is a Atlantic impacted virtually all global developments. Natural (from interannual multidecadal scales) as response forcing overlain trends (sea level, temperature, acidification) alternating phases direct human impacts attempts remedy those. Human intervention started some 1000 years ago (diking associated loss wetlands), expanded near-coastal parts industrial revolution mid-19th century (river management, waste disposal rivers), greatly accelerated mid-1950s (eutrophication, pollution, fisheries). now heavily regulated sea, yet societal goals (good environmental status versus increased uses), demands for benefits policies diverge increasingly. Likely, southern will be re-zoned riparian countries dedicate increasing space offshore wind energy generation — with uncertain consequences system's status. We review available observational model data (predominantly southeastern region) identify describe effects variability, secular changes, on ecosystem, outline developments next decades legislation, use space.