#Heat wave killed marine wildlife masse driver

MIT-WHOI Joint Program graduate students Alice Alpert (left) and Liz Drenkard (center), and U.S. These prolonged periods of heat wreak havoc on marine health and increase the risk of massive bleaching events on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and other sensitive coral ecosystems. Warmer ocean waters also encourage frequent, lengthy marine heatwaves, where temperatures can jump several degrees or more above average. This phenomenon, known as ocean acidification, harms corals, clams, snails, and many other marine organisms, mainly by dissolving their calcium carbonate shells and skeletons. Hotter oceans can hold more carbon dioxide, which causes seawater to become more acidic. Rising ocean temperatures contribute to oxygen-depleted ocean dead zones in large coastal and open ocean areas, rendering them largely uninhabitable by marine life. Fish species now migrate north to find cooler temperatures and food sources, impacting communities and economies that depend on fishing. Marine life will suffer the most due to unprecedented ocean warming.

Sea level rise has different rates and magnitudes in different places scientists estimate sea level could rise at least 15 inches by 2100 in some areas, potentially displacing millions worldwide. Polar ice sheets thin and erode in response, pushing levels even higher. Because water becomes less dense and expands as it heats up, it occupies more space and causes sea levels to creep up.

#Heat wave killed marine wildlife masse driver

Warmer ocean waters also contribute to rising sea levels, and this thermal expansion could be the biggest driver of sea level rise over long time scales. Warmer sea surface temperatures influence weather patterns and shift precipitation, causing some regions to experience intense rainstorms and flooding and exacerbating drought conditions and wildfire risks in others. Rising ocean temperatures are connected to some weather extremes and can lead to more intense hurricanes, heavier rainfall, and snowstorms. Earth is already experiencing the consequences of these changes, impacting property, lives, and livelihoods-and not just in coastal areas.

It will eventually be released, feeding back into the climate system and causing further warming.Įven the seemingly slight increase of 1.5☏ in ocean temperature represents an enormous amount of heat, one large enough to transform marine biodiversity, change ocean chemistry, raise sea levels, and fuel extreme weather. Water can hold more heat than land or air, so it warms more slowly, but this rate is still alarming. And scientists recently found that the rate of warming in the top 6,500 feet of the ocean over the past few decades was about 40 percent higher than previously estimated. As a result, the top 700 meters (2,300 feet) of the global ocean has warmed about 1.5☏ since 1901. The ocean’s surface layer, home to most marine life, takes most of this heat. Since 1971, the ocean has absorbed 90 percent of the excess heat added to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels and other human activities. Increasing ocean heat is closely linked to increases in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, making the ocean an excellent indicator of how much Earth is warming. Without this buffering effect, the planet’s average land temperature would be around an unlivable 120☏ - twice as high as today. Covering 70 percent of the planet, the ocean soaks up heat trapped in the atmosphere by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The ocean is a vital part of Earth’s climate system: It helps moderate climate and slow the impacts of global warming. As heat transforms the ocean, threats to food supplies, economies, and weather multiply, putting human and environmental health at risk. Rising ocean temperatures are driving unprecedented changes in global marine ecosystems, sea levels, and weather patterns. Other Expeditions Highlighting WHOI Research.Expedition to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.What’s the difference between climate and weather?.Why is pressure different in the ocean?.