Marine Climate Refugia: Resilience, Rapid Adaptation, and the Future of Ocean Ecosystems

As climate change reshapes the world’s oceans, marine science is asking a more urgent question: not just what is being lost, but what will survive, and where.Refugia are areas where species and ecosystems persist despite surrounding degradation, either because local conditions buffer them from the worst effects of warming, or because they provide stepping stones for range shifts and recolonisation. These refugia are not static safe havens; they are dynamic systems under pressure, and understanding them requires moving beyond impact assessments toward a new science of resilience, adaptation, and ecological transformation.This Research Topic brings together the growing body of work that is reframing marine climate science around survival and recovery. We seek contributions that identify and characterise marine climate refugia, investigate the mechanisms that underpin ecosystem resilience, and track how species and communities are adapting, sometimes surprisingly fast, to rapidly changing conditions. A central aim is to understand where future refugia are most likely to persist, and what biological, physical, and human factors determine their fate. We especially welcome work from the most active and data-rich regions: the Pacific Islands, Indo-Pacific, Arctic, and Southern Ocean.Priority themes include:- Coral refugia: bleaching-resistant reefs, thermal tolerance mechanisms, and the identification of future coral strongholds- Mesophotic reefs: the potential of “twilight zone” ecosystems (30 to 150 m) as depth refugia for shallow-reef biodiversity- Kelp forest dynamics: collapse, recovery, and the conditions that determine which direction a kelp system tips- Polar ecosystem shifts: species redistributions, community restructuring, and emerging ecological relationships in the Arctic and Southern Ocean- Tropicalization of temperate seas: range expansions, novel species interactions, and the transformation of mid-latitude communities- Rapid adaptation: evolutionary, physiological, and behavioural responses that allow species to outpace climate projections- Refugia mapping and forecasting: spatial modelling, remote sensing, and predictive frameworks for identifying future climate havensOriginal research, systematic reviews, modelling studies, and perspective pieces are all welcome. Together, this collection will build the scientific foundation for conservation strategies that protect tomorrow’s refugia today. Topic editors: Alma Paola Rodríguez-Troncoso, Steven J. Bograd, Gretchen E Hofmann Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84776/marine-climate-refugia-resilience-rapid-adaptation-and-the-future-of-ocean-ecosystems