Changing Oceans

Warming Oceans

• Sea levels rise (heated water expands, melting ice adds)
•     Shoreline erosion; loss of coastal land and wetlands
•     Coastal flooding - more often, higher, people move from the coastline, hurricanes damage more coasts
•     Salt poisoning inland water
•     Elimination of flood insurance
• Changes range of species (lobster move north, etc.); drive some species to extinctions
• Kills coral reefs (Great Barrier reef, Australia)

• •     Examples:
    • Florida flooding:
      Data: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/king-tides-cause-flooding-florida-fall-2017
    • Disappearing islands in the Pacific
    • Hurricane Sally (2020)
  • Articles: New York Times Louisiana section 24Feb18, Everglades (ScienceNews 18Aug18 p.19),

  Acidifying Oceans

  • Oceans absorb a lot of CO2 - the absorption is a reaction that creates acid.
    •     Effects: Reduces the amount of carbonate, a key building block of living things in the ocean.
    •     This makes it more difficult for marine organisms, such as coral and some plankton, to form their shells
    •      and skeletons, and existing shells may begin to dissolve.
      •     Data: Ocean pH measurement trends
        https://ocean.si.edu/conservation/acidification/ocean-acidification-graph

      Changing Ocean Currents

      • All oceans areas don't warm the same - changing how the oceans move and carry different weather with them.
      
      

      Email: thought@thoughtventions.com

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      Last updated: October 2021