Retail, hospitality, and food service workers face significant risks
Climate change intensifies the process of oceans getting warmer due to actions like deforestation, industrial activities, agriculture, and waste management.
Burning fossil fuels releases gases like methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide. While these greenhouse gases trap heat and are essential for maintaining a livable temperature on Earth, too much can lead to global warming and climate change.
Fossil fuels, like coal and oil, are burned to release energy that we can use for things like heating. However, burning fossil fuels releases gases into the atmosphere.
Livestock farming produces greenhouse gases; the digestive process of cattle and sheep produces methane. Methane has 21 times more global warming potential than carbon dioxide.
For many communities, their cultural heritage is deeply connected to the land and sea. As coastal areas face threats like erosion and flooding, people risk losing not just physical landmarks but also aspects of their cultural identity.
Warming oceans will melt glaciers and polar ice caps, which can have serious consequences for coastal communities and the environment.
A decrease in oxygen levels in warmer ocean waters can harm or even kill fish, shellfish, and other organisms, causing devastation to marine ecosystems.
Some species may try to find cooler water if ocean temperatures increase, while others may perish. This results in reduced varieties of plants and animals living in the ocean, disrupting the balance of marine ecosystems.
If fish or other marine life can't adapt to changes in ocean temperatures or acidity levels, their populations will decline, posing a risk to global food security.
Warmer temperatures can stress out marine organisms, weakening their immune systems and making them more susceptible to infections. Altered salinity or oxygen levels can also create favorable environments for disease-causing pathogens.
Coastal ecosystems, like mangroves, coral reefs, and marshes, act as natural barriers that help protect coastal areas from the impacts of natural disasters. When oceans warm up, these ecosystems can become weakened.
Warmer water might make it more comfortable for some species to move to new areas, while others struggle to survive in their usual habitats. These shifts in species distribution can affect the whole food chain.
Sea surface temperatures influence the weather we experience on land. Warmer waters fuel more energetic hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons, giving them the potential to deliver more damage if they make landfall.
When cities grow and expand, they change the landscape by replacing woodland, forests, and fields with buildings and concrete. These artificial surfaces absorb more heat from the sun and can raise the temperature of rivers and coastal areas.
Greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun in the atmosphere, and a lot of that heat ends up getting absorbed by the oceans. The process helps to regulate the Earth’s temperature, but too much heat absorption can have dire consequences.
If the oceans absorb too much heat, the temperatures rise, and this can cause rising sea levels, changes in weather patterns, and harm to marine life.
So, now we know why the oceans are warming; but what are the consequences?
Bangladesh, where more than 35 million people live in coastal areas, has been facing devastating storms, floods, drought, and water shortages. One in every seven Bangladeshis could be displaced by climate change by 2050, with an estimated 18 million people fleeing sea level rise alone.
Warming oceans can disrupt habitats, affect food availability, and make marine life more susceptible to parasites, diseases, and other threats.
Changing rainfall patterns due to warming oceans can harm crops and reduce harvests if there is too much or too little rain. It also affects water resources for drinking and irrigation.
Without forests to absorb carbon dioxide, the Earth's ability to regulate the climate and keep greenhouse gas levels in check would be severely compromised.
Warmer water strengthens waves, causing the wearing away of the land, cliffs, and beaches along coastlines, resulting in land loss and damage to coastal communities.
Bleaching occurs when coral gets stressed and turns white because the water it lives in is too hot. Once the coral dies, the reefs rarely come back. The ecosystems on which wildlife and humans depend deteriorate as a result.
As sea levels rise, low-lying coastal areas become prone to flooding. Land that was once livable or usable for farming becomes submerged. Similarly, the destruction of habitats disrupts ecosystems, threatens biodiversity, and leads to species loss.
As sea levels rise, floods destroy homes, infrastructure, and businesses. Research shows that land currently home to 300 million people will flood at least once a year by 2050.
The ocean’s average pH is now around 8.1 (alkaline), but as the ocean continues to absorb more carbon dioxide, the pH decreases, and the ocean becomes more acidic. This could alter marine food chains and food supply to humans.
The damage caused to infrastructure by severe storms due to rising water temperatures or floods due to rising sea levels can devastate economies and infrastructure. Rebuilding towns or cities is costly, and damage to hubs of tourism or trade can result in job losses.
Sources: (CNN) (NASA) (BBC) (National Geographic)
The ocean influences global weather and climate by storing solar radiation, distributing heat and moisture, and driving weather systems. If this is disrupted, it can affect temperatures and rainfall and lead to extreme weather events like droughts, floods, and storms.
Industrial activities can raise levels of greenhouse gases and pollute water bodies with wastewater containing chemicals, posing risks to aquatic life, diminishing water quality, and endangering human health.
Intrigued? Find out all you need to know about rising ocean temperatures and the devastating consequences by clicking through this informative gallery.
What you need to know about the alarming rise in ocean temperatures
What does this mean for the future of our planet?
LIFESTYLE Global warming
Research conducted by NASA shows that 90% of global warming is occurring in the ocean, and data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer has found that global ocean surface temperatures started breaking daily records in mid-March 2023. This temperature rise may become catastrophic, fueling concerns for marine life and extreme weather across the planet.
Intrigued? Find out all you need to know about rising ocean temperatures and the devastating consequences by clicking through this informative gallery.