Climate-smart ocean management
Climate change is reshaping ocean life, marine industries and coastal communities. PML delivers transdisciplinary science and decision-support tools that place climate evidence at the heart of ocean management, from local spatial plans to international biodiversity commitments.
Our focus
Integrating climate change into marine spatial planning, protected area design and ocean governance to deliver resilient outcomes for nature and people.
The Challenge
The Ocean is changing at an unprecedented rate
Climate change affects every aspect of how we use, protect and plan the ocean.
Marine plans that do not account for shifting species distributions, changing habitats and climate-driven risks cannot deliver a sustainable future for ocean life and livelihoods, the blue economy or our planet.
Without integrating climate evidence into ocean governance, the sectors that depend on marine space, from offshore renewables to fisheries and coastal communities, aquaculture and nature, will face will face compounding uncertainty. The ocean’s capacity to regulate the global climate system also depends on protecting the ecosystems perform that function.
We aim to place climate science at the heart of ocean decision-making. Through co-created knowledge, data products and decision-support tools, we are helping governments, marine sectors, planners and communities make evidence-based decisions that can help the blue economy thrive in an uncertain future, have buy-in from society, and grounded in the best available science. Our ambition is a future in which climate change adaptation and mitigation are foundation of ocean policy and governance.
Our Approach
Trusted science for climate-smart ocean management
Climate-smart marine spatial planning
Integrating climate adaptation and mitigation into the full marine spatial planning process reduces the risk of plan failure and enables sustainable, long-term marine space allocation in line with national and international policy.
Climate-smart marine protected areas
Climate Change is a main challenge to the successful delivery of the Global Biodiversity Framework to protect 30% of marine biodiversity and ecosystems by 2030. PML drives co-developed research bringing together ocean climate projections, economic modelling and social values assessments, to support climate-smart solutions.
Decision support tools and data products
We co-develop decision support tools such as ASPACE, and data products with ocean practitioner that are enabling real world evidence-based climate-smart decisions about marine space.
Our Impact
From Ocean data to Ocean protection
Our science informs policy, shapes international commitments and delivers tools that decision-makers use. Explore our impact reports and key outcomes below.
ORIES is an open-source web-based decision support tool (DST) that allows users to evaluate the effects of proposed fixed offshore wind farms on marine habitats, biodiversity and ecosystem services.
PML scientists have played leading and contributing roles to assessment reports on the health and status of the North-East Atlantic, published today (13th September 2023) in the OSPAR Quality Status Report 2023.
This document outlines a nine-step cycle for developing and implementing climate-smart marine plans.
PML Highlights
See our science in action
Project
MSPACE: Marine Spatial Planning Addressing Climate Effects
MSPACE is a 3 year project designed to drive forward the capability of the four UK nations in designing and implementing climate-smart marine spatial plans.
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Project
C-BLUES: Carbon sequestration in BLUe EcoSystems
The C-BLUES project aims to significantly advance knowledge and understanding of blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs) – seagrasses, tidal marshes, mangroves and macroalgae – to reduce scientific uncertainty, improve reporting of blue carbon, and promote the role of blue carbon in delivering climate policy commitments.
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Project
MOET – Managing the Environmental Sustainability of the Offshore Energy Transition
MOET will assess the environmental sustainability of offshore wind, blue and green hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage for selected test areas of the UK offshore, and will develop solutions for planning the technology and infrastructure of the offshore energy transition. It will also assess public understanding and acceptance of those technologies.
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Project
Ocean ICU: Improving Carbon Understanding
The Horizon EU OceanICU is a five year project that seeks to gain a new understanding of the biological carbon pump and its processes in order to provide fundamental knowledge and tools to help policy makers, regulators and Ocean industry–fishing and mining, along with the wider blue economy–manage and understand the impact of their actions on Ocean carbon. This will…
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Project
Valmas: Valuing Marine Artificial Structures
VALMAS is a £5.6 million UK research programme that examines how marine artificial structures, such as offshore wind turbines and oil and gas platforms, interact with marine ecosystems and society. Plymouth Marine Laboratory is a key project partner, with Dr Steve Watson as Deputy Project Lead, contributing evidence and tools to support sustainable offshore energy development.
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News
£5.6M project to guide UK’s offshore energy future launches in Plymouth
Scientists, political advisors and industry leaders from across the globe came together this week to mark the official launch of a multi-million pound research project, exploring ways to transform how offshore structures are managed.
Explore newsScientific Leadership
Experts working in this area of research
Co-developed research by internationally recognised scientists combining ecology, ocean-climate forecasting, social sciences and economic modelling to deliver climate-resilient solutions for our ocean and our planet.
Why PML?
Unmatched expertise and infrastructure
Decade of science-to-policy impact
Over ten years working directly with governments, NGOs and coastal communities to translate ocean climate science into real-world management outcomes at national and international scale.
Transdisciplinary expertise
A unique combination of ocean climate modelling, ecology, economics, spatial analysis and social research enabling joined-up solutions across the full complexity of climate-smart ocean management.
Fit-for-purpose decision tools
Proven capability developing operational platforms including ASPACE that make complex climate science accessible and actionable for planners, regulators and policymakers.
Global reach, local relevance
Active from the poles to the tropics, with strong partnerships across Europe, the Caribbean, South America and Small Island Developing States, ensuring solutions are grounded in local context.
Who We Work With
Serving a diverse ecosystem of partners
Working with organisations across policy, conservation finance and stakeholder engagement to translate climate science into lasting ocean management improvements.
Selected partners, collaborators, and funders across our projects and research.
Get In Touch
Ready to transform Ocean management?
Speak to our team about how we can support your marine planning programme, conservation commitment or policy objective with climate-smart science.
Portfolio Lead
Professor Ana M Queirós
Ocean Challenge Lead: Climate Change
