They inform that the burning of fossil fuels is changing our waters on a chemical level and causing changes to happen quicker than any natural event that came after the nefarious Great Dying, which took place 250 million years ago.
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Oceans are heating, losing oxygen and becoming more acidic because of Carbon dioxide, experts noted in the study. “For instance, since the 1970s they’ve absorbed roughly 93 percent of the additional heat produced by the greenhouse effect, greatly helping to slow the warming of our planet”, Hans-Otto Pörtner, a researcher at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Germany and the study’s co-author, said in a press release.
Climate change has already impacted the world in obvious and more subtle ways – in the ocean, where fish are being driven from their traditional habitats, towards cooler waters – a factor that could be to blame for the recent rash of shark attacks off the coast of North Carolina.
“From looking at the surface of the ocean, you can’t tell much is changing”.
This is extremely important since the ocean regulates our climate and weather and it also provides half of the oxygen in the atmosphere besides minerals, energy, food and drugs. Carbon dioxide is considered as an acidic gas and in effect, it also makes the seawater acidic.
“We are asking policy makers to recognise the potential consequences of these dramatic changes and raise the profile of the ocean in worldwide talks where, up to now, it has barely got a mention”.
According to the research the increased acidification of the ocean will most likely influence reproduction, growth rates of the marine organisms – particularly those with skeletons and calcium carbonate shells and larval feeding and survival.
Lastly, scientists seriously warn that, “Immediate and substantial reduction of Carbon dioxide emissions is required in order to prevent the massive and effectively irreversible impacts on ocean ecosystems and their services”. Climate change, including rising temperatures, could force many species to relocate their native habitats, investigators conclude.
Cheung and his colleague Rashid Sumaila, co-authors of the study, looked at how climate change will affect fisheries and the coastal communities who depend heavily on fisheries resources for food and economic security.
The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in Paris is aimed at adopting a legally-binding agreement among the majority of nations of the world to limit global climate change.
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“We are allowing ourselves to travel a uniquely risky path, and we are doing so without an appreciation for the consequences that lie ahead”, Barange said.
