Marine mammals as indicators of Anthropocene Ocean Health

Plön, S.; Andra, K.; Auditore, L.; Gegout, C.; Hale, P. J.; Hampe, O.; Ramilo-Henry, M.; Burkhardt-Holm, P.; Jaigirdar, A. M.; Klein, L.; Maewashe, M. K.; Müssig, J.; Ramsarup, N.; Roussouw, N.; Sabin, R.; Shongwe, T. C.; Tuddenham, P.

doi:10.1038/s44185-024-00055-5

Marine mammals as indicators of Anthropocene Ocean Health

Plön, S.; Andra, K.; Auditore, L.; Gegout, C.; Hale, P. J.; Hampe, O.; Ramilo-Henry, M.; Burkhardt-Holm, P.; Jaigirdar, A. M.; Klein, L.; Maewashe, M. K.; Müssig, J.; Ramsarup, N.; Roussouw, N.; Sabin, R.; Shongwe, T. C.; Tuddenham, P.

Authors

S. Plön

K. Andra

L. Auditore

Dr CATHERINE GEGOUT catherine.gegout@nottingham.ac.uk
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

P. J. Hale

O. Hampe

M. Ramilo-Henry

P. Burkhardt-Holm

A. M. Jaigirdar

L. Klein

M. K. Maewashe

J. Müssig

N. Ramsarup

N. Roussouw

R. Sabin

T. C. Shongwe

P. Tuddenham

Abstract

The current state of marine mammal populations reflects increasing anthropogenic impacts on the global Ocean. Adopting a holistic approach towards marine mammal health, incorporating healthy individuals and healthy populations, these taxa present indicators of the health of the overall Ocean system. Their present deterioration at the animal, population and ecosystem level has implications for human health and the global system. In the Anthropocene, multiple planetary boundaries have already been exceeded, and quiet tipping points in the Ocean may present further uncertainties. Long and short-term monitoring of marine mammal health in the holistic sense is urgently required to assist in evaluating and reversing the impact on Ocean Health and aid in climate change mitigation.

Citation

Plön, S., Andra, K., Auditore, L., Gegout, C., Hale, P. J., Hampe, O., Ramilo-Henry, M., Burkhardt-Holm, P., Jaigirdar, A. M., Klein, L., Maewashe, M. K., Müssig, J., Ramsarup, N., Roussouw, N., Sabin, R., Shongwe, T. C., & Tuddenham, P. (2024). Marine mammals as indicators of Anthropocene Ocean Health. npj Biodiversity, 3(1), Article 24. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44185-024-00055-5

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Jul 19, 2024
Online Publication Date	Sep 10, 2024
Publication Date	Sep 10, 2024
Deposit Date	Sep 12, 2024
Publicly Available Date	Sep 12, 2024
Journal	npj Biodiversity
Electronic ISSN	2731-4243
Publisher	Springer Nature
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	3
Issue	1
Article Number	24
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1038/s44185-024-00055-5
Keywords	Ecology; Ocean sciences
Public URL	https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/39460451
Publisher URL	https://www.nature.com/articles/s44185-024-00055-5