Contributors: Contributors: A. Hall (TVUK), J. Marsh (TVUK), P. Miller (PML)

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Introduction

This dataset provides monthly projections of changes in the spatial and temporal distribution of ocean fronts. Ocean fronts are the interfaces between water masses, and are recognised to enhance productivity and promote the aggregation of commercial pelagic fish species and top predators, such as sharks, marine mammals, and seabirds, as prey availability increases. Moreover, primary productivity associated with oceanographic fronts strongly influence species richness in deep-sea fish communities (RD.7), as well as the functioning of deep-sea fish communities (RD.8).

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Natural capital refers to the world's stocks of natural assets, which provide goods and services fundamental to supporting economic development and human well-being. Natural capital accounting provides a structured approach to recording and monitoring the extent and condition of natural resources and ecosystems over time.
In the past, measures of human interactions with natural capital in the marine domain have been restricted to measurements of the income generated from the use of the natural resource, such as income from the sale of wild caught fish. It has long been recognised, though, that focusing solely on measuring income omits changes in the stocks of natural assets, often leading to their mismanagement. This is most clearly seen in the instances of overexploitation of fisheries in the pursuit of income growth. More recently, the physical assessments of marine natural capital accounts are based on the ecosystem condition (compiled from key characteristics) and extent. Ocean fronts influence the ecosystem condition by enhancing productivity and the aggregation of commercial fish species. Front locations often depend upon bathymetry, as well as future currents and weather conditions. Therefore, the ocean front dataset can inform natural capital accounting.

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