The potential consequences of climate change for earth systems, the effects of other anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems, and the possible interaction between climate change and human activities affecting the oceans are now broadly recognized and are of vital concern.

U.S. GLOBEC (GLOBal Ocean ECosytems Dynamics) is a multi-disciplinary research program designed by oceanographers, fishery scientists, and marine ecologists to examine the potential impact of global climate change on marine animal populations. U.S. GLOBEC is a component of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and the U.S. Global Change Research Program and is linked to worldwide research on this topic through the International GLOBEC Program. The objective of U.S. GLOBEC research is to understand and predict the effects of climate change and variability on the structure and dynamics of marine ecosystems and fishery production.

U.S. GLOBEC researchers are developing and applying computer models of the physics and biology of the seas, based on studies of key processes, large-scale observational programs using advanced observational systems, and new information extracted from long-standing programs and data sets. This inter-related sequence of modeling, process-oriented studies, broad scale observations, and retrospective studies is the foundation of the GLOBEC research strategy. These program elements provide essential pieces of information on a broad spectrum of spatial and temporal scales. The various components of the program are being integrated in synthesis programs within regional study areas and among sites.