Just off the coast of Ecuador in South America are two complex coastal ecosystems, rich in diversity with unique habitats to support an array of different species. These two places - the Gulf of Guayaquil and the Galapagos Islands - each provide a source of livelihood and way out of poverty for many Ecuadorians, but for two very different reasons. The Galapagos Islands are an ecotourism hub - accounting for about 80% of Galapagos economy, serving as Ecuador’s largest service export. In contrast, the Gulf of Guayaquil is the largest estuary ecosystem on the South American Pacific coast, supporting a wide array of species because of the unique blend of nutrients from both freshwater rivers and the ocean. This also makes it one of the most productive fishing grounds on the coast - shrimp, tuna, sardines, anchovies - a critical economic and social asset for the country.

Recently, with more dynamic shifts in ocean warming and climate patterns, these rich and diverse coastal regions in Ecuador are facing a more consistent and emerging threat to the biodiversity in the region from events known as “red tides”. Red tides are a common term used for harmful algal blooms (HABs) - colonies of algae that grow out of control and produce toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, marine mammals, and birds. In addition to HABs being linked to warmer and calmer water conditions, these occurrences are worsened by the effects of a climate pattern called El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). ENSO is made of three phases - El Niño, La Niña, and Neutral events - and while ENSO is naturally occurring, global warming has made the extreme ends of these phases stronger and more frequent over the past 50 years. This is having devastating impacts on the ecosystem health in the regions off the coast and these impacts are felt by the citizens of Ecuador whose lives rely on these rich coastal assets. 

This project seeks to better understand the complex connectivity between ocean warming trends, climate variability patterns including the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), ecosystem health, and livelihood of the local communities who rely on these ecosystems. Leveraging recent satellite imagery and focusing on the coastal region of Ecuador we can better understand the widespread impact on climate change factors in this region.