The course is designed to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of climate change's main impacts on the marine environment from an ecological perspective. It will begin with a general introduction to climate change, focusing on its historical traits, causes, and consequences. After providing the students with information about where to gather marine climate change-related data, the course will go through climate change's main ecological and biological effects, such as aquatic organisms’ calcification, species demography, abundance, distribution, and phenology. Moreover, the course will explore the environmental impacts on different ocean regions, from the poles to tropical waters, focusing on the Mediterranean Sea and tropical coral reefs. Some specific examples of the direct effects of climate change on human activities will be reported. Finally, the lessons will discuss possible solutions to study and contrast marine climate change.

D1 – Knowledge and understanding:
At the end of the course, students will have acquired a comprehensive understanding of the main drivers of climate change and their ecological consequences in marine environments. They will understand the mechanisms underlying biological and ecological responses to climate change, including effects on calcification, demography, abundance, distribution and phenology of marine organisms. Students will also gain knowledge of regional patterns of climate change impacts across polar, temperate, Mediterranean and tropical marine ecosystems, as well as current approaches for monitoring and assessing climate-related changes.

D2 – Applying knowledge and understanding:
Students will be able to interpret and critically analyse scientific information and datasets related to marine climate change impacts. They will be able to identify the ecological consequences of climate change at different levels of biological organization, compare responses among marine ecosystems, and apply appropriate scientific approaches to evaluate climate change impacts and potential mitigation or adaptation strategies.

D3 – Making judgements:
Students will develop the ability to critically evaluate scientific evidence concerning marine climate change, distinguish between different sources of information, assess uncertainties associated with ecological predictions, and formulate scientifically sound conclusions on the impacts of climate change and possible management responses.

D4 – Communication skills:
Students will develop the ability to communicate scientific concepts related to marine climate change using appropriate terminology. They will be able to discuss ecological processes, interpret scientific findings, and present evidence-based arguments during classroom discussions and the final examination.

D5 – Learning skills:
Students will develop the skills necessary to independently update their knowledge by consulting scientific literature, international assessment reports and marine climate change databases. They will acquire the ability to critically evaluate new scientific information and continue their learning in the rapidly evolving field of marine climate change ecology.