Abstract

Toolbox for the Ocean Health Index and Cumulative Impacts
Track: Ocean, Coastal, and Marine Resources
Authors: Ben Best, Darren Hardy, Benjamin Halpern

Managing sustainable use of the oceans necessitates a comprehensive framework for quantifying the benefits to humans and man-made pressures on the oceans across a broad suite of services. The Ocean Health Index arrives at a composite score derived from 10 goals, including food provision, coastal livelihoods and economies, biodiversity, carbon storage, and more (www.oceanhealthindex.org). The input layers, underlying goal equations and parameters that were applied globally across Exclusive Economic Zones in Halpern et al. (2012 Nature) will be modifiable within a spatial and statistical toolbox for global and regional analyses. Methods similar to Halpern et al. (2008 Science) for Cumulative Impacts (http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/globalmarine) will also be made. Interactive visualizations will facilitate decision-making opportunities for improving ocean health. The toolbox will include a web front-end, R statistics package, and set of drag and drop form-based tools for use in either ArcGIS or an open-source GIS.