• The article explains how global warming or climate change affects the world’s oceans.
• Human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation and over-fishing are responsible for many of the changes in the ocean environment.
• These changes include rising sea levels, warmer water temperatures, ocean acidification and a decrease in marine life.
Climate Change Affects Oceans
Oceans play an important role in regulating our planet’s climate: they transport heat from the equator to the poles, absorb around 25 percent of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions each year and provide habitat for a variety of species. However, due to human activity such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation and over-fishing, there has been an increase in global warming or climate change which is having a profound impact on our oceans.
Rising Sea Levels
As temperatures rise due to greenhouse gas emissions trapping more heat in our atmosphere, polar ice caps melt at an accelerated rate causing sea levels to rise around the world. This means that coastal cities are increasingly vulnerable to flooding during storms or high tides and can lead to increased erosion of shorelines.
Warmer Water Temperatures
Warmer water temperatures create stress for marine species that are accustomed to colder waters and can cause coral bleaching when temperatures become too hot for them to survive—which is already happening across parts of the Great Barrier Reef off Australia’s northeast coast. Additionally, warmer water temperatures can result in more frequent and intense tropical storms which have devastating effects on coastal communities.
Ocean Acidification
Ocean acidification happens when carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere dissolves into seawater creating carbonic acid which decreases pH levels making it harder for some organisms like mollusks and coral reefs to form their shells or skeletons—putting entire food webs at risk since these creatures serve as essential food sources for larger predators like whales or seals.
Decrease In Marine Life
The degradation of coral reefs impacts fish populations since they rely on them as habitat—resulting in a decrease of fish numbers overall. Overfishing is also depleting certain species like tuna which puts stress on other marine life that depend on those sources for food leading to further imbalances within aquatic ecosystems around the globe.