Ocean fronts separate warmer water from cooler water across the open ocean, influencing currents, weather systems and the distribution of marine life. But as climate change alters ocean temperatures and currents, the positions and intensity of ocean fronts are also changing.
The Ocean Front CHANGE team is committed to protecting the diverse life found in these unique ecosystems, even as they continue to shift.
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Funded by the Belmont Forum, the Scientists of the Ocean Front Change Project aim to document ocean fronts, and the fish that use them, within the Mozambique Channel.
The Mozambique Channel
Funded by the Belmont Forum, the scientists behind Ocean Front CHANGE are placing their focus on a globally important area: the Mozambique Channel.
The Mozambique Channel is a global epicenter where ocean fronts converge. As ocean currents from the southern Indian Ocean hit the tip of Madagascar, they cause a cascade of ocean fronts to move down the channel between the coast of mainland Africa and Madagascar. These churning, nutrient-rich waters support a food web of fish and top predators like whales, dolphins, sharks and seabirds.
This project brings together conservationists and fishers in the Mozambique Channel, as they conduct research on ocean fronts, their significance for marine life and predictions on how these features may change over time.
Our approach
The outcomes of this project will play a key role in addressing critical information gaps identified by stakeholders and planners that are working to protect and sustainably manage the ocean, particularly in the context of climate change.
This comes at a critical time, as governments commit to Sustainable Development Goals, communities adapt their livelihoods in response to climate change and conservation groups look for ways to protect marine life as ocean fronts continue to move due to climate change.
Our team
Our project team is composed of scientists at the leading edge of ocean modeling, biogeochemistry research on ocean fronts, marine life modeling, fisheries economics, and climate change science. Our team is a collaboration across a diverse set of countries, with scientists hailing from Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, France and the United States.
Our partners
The Ocean Front Change project is a multinational joint effort of four organizations, funded by the Belmont Forum.
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