Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Gulf of Mexico’s Water Quality: A Review

Abstract

The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is a regionally important marine ecosystem with valuable fisheries that may be detrimentally impacted by anthropogenic climate change. In recent years, our scientific understanding of climate change impacts on the GOM water quality has advanced considerably. Such advancements include increased understanding of climate change impacts on the GOM’s hypoxia and sediment, and subsequent impacts on the region’s marine ecosystem. This paper reviews these developments and highlights gaps in our understanding of climate change impacts on marine water quality and its implications in the GOM region. There is broad scientific agreement that physical changes induced by anthropogenic climate change are determining factors of water quality and biodiversity in the GOM. However, the scientific community should work toward a greater understanding of species and ecosystem specific changes through modeling studies exclusive to the GOM region and this should inform the development of broader multi-disciplinary mitigation strategies.