Professor Ana M Queirós
Ocean Challenge Lead: Climate Change
"I hope my son will be able to enjoy the ocean’s thriving life and wonder as much as I do, into his future. My goal everyday is to help generate new scientific understanding of the ocean, to inform climate-smart strategies for ocean management that protect the adaptation potential of its species and habitats, and of people that depend on them, into the future. "
Professor Queirós is an internationally recognised, award winning marine climate change ecologist, leading and advising on a number of globally distributed research transdisciplinary programmes co-developing capability and evidence-based solutions for climate-smart ocean management that works for nature and people towards sustainable development. Ana is involved in high-level processes nationally and internationally, having provided advice to the UK and UK nation governments, Irish government, Philippines and Tanzania on the identification of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas that increase climate resilience of protected species and habitats, towards climate-smart Marine Protected Area siting, Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Spatial Planning. She has further provided advice to the CBD, UNFCCC, and sits in scientific and advisory roles in several UN Ocean Decade Programs, the UN Ocean Decade Collaborative Centre for Coastal Resilience, and the network of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. She works with policy, industry, NGO and finance communities.
Key Projects
- Marine Spatial Planning Addressing Climate Effects PI. NERC-ESRC project (2021-2025), part of the Sustainable management of UK Marine Resources Programme and endorsed UN Ocean Decade Action under CoastPredict Programme.
- The carbon and biodiversity value of offshore, co-located seaweed farming. PI. Amazon Right Now Climate Fund (2023-2026).
- New Copernicus capability for trophic ocean networks. Copernicus Marine Service Co-I. Horizon Europe (2022-2026)
- Advancing understanding of Cumulative Impacts on European marine biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services for human wellbeing Co-I. Horizon Europe (2022-2026)
- Future states Of the global Coastal ocean: Understanding for Solutions Co-I & WP lead. NERC National-Capability Internationl Programme (2022-2026)
- Climate Change and Future Marine Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity Co-I. A Horizon 2020 funded programme (2020-2024)
Selected Publications
- UNESCO-IOC and European Commission. 2025. MSPglobal International Guide on Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning: Volume 2 – Biodiversity Inclusive Principle. Paris, UNESCO. (IOC Manuals and Guides No. 89, Volume 2)
- UNESCO-IOC and European Commission. 2025. MSPglobal International Guide on Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning: Volume 3 – Climate-smart Principle. Paris, UNESCO. (IOC Manuals and Guides No. 89, Volume 3)
- Queirós, AM et al. (2025) The opportunity for climate action through climate-smart Marine Spatial Planning | npj Ocean Sustainability.
- Blue Marine Foundation (2025) Navigating Change: The role of climate-smart MPAs in achieving 30×30. URL: Climate-Smart-Report-Blue-Marine.pdf
- Wilson et al. (in press) Seafloor heatwaves outpace surface events in future on the northwest European shelf. EGUsphere
- Queirós, AM et al. (2024) A sustainable blue economy may not be possible in Tanzania without cutting emissions. Sci Tot Env
- Queirós, AM et al. (2024). A climate-resilient path for Ireland’s Marine Protected Areas network. A report for Fair Seas
- Queirós, AM. et al. (2024) Early-warning system: Climate-smart spatial management of UK fisheries, aquaculture and conservation. Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership. 58 pp. doi: 10.14465/2023.msp02.tec
- Filbee-Dexter, K et al. (2024). Carbon export from seaweed forests to deep ocean sinks. Nature Geosci.
- Talbot et al. (2024) Incorporating “climate-readiness” into tropical spatial fisheries management strategies. Sci Tot Env
- Chust et al. (2024) Cross-basin and cross-taxa patterns of marine community tropicalization and deborealization in warming European seas. Nat Comm
- Hiung et al. (2024) Ocean weather, biological rates and unexplained global ecological patterns. PNAS Nexus
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