OCEAN
OF TROUBLE
The lifecycle of Calanus finmarchicus
in the Gulf of Maine has been in flux in
recent years, and Runge is among several marine scientists who believe that
changes in the climate, including rising
ocean temperatures, increased precipitation and drainage cycles along coastal
estuaries like this one, are playing a role.
If that’s the case, the entire food web in
this historically abundant fishery may
be reorganizing itself in response to new
environmental inputs, with implications
across dozens of interdependent species,
including humans.
“If this Calanus finmarchicus disappeared — no one has really done the quantitative analysis, though it’s something I
would like to try to work out,” Runge says.
“But what impact might that have on the
system? How would tha