Since mid-March this year, the world’s oceans have recorded record temperature on their surface. According to data from the “Climate Reanalyzer” platform, every day has been the warmest for its respective date – since measurements began in 1982, and usually by far. The temperature reached about 21 degrees Celsius in early August, which is about 0.8 degrees higher than the 1982-2011 average for that time of year.
This extraordinary situation is mainly caused by man-made global warming, explains Mojib Latif of the Geomar Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel. He stressed that more than 90 percent of the heat generated by human greenhouse gas emissions is absorbed by the oceans.
In addition, there is currently the climate phenomenon El Niño, which can further increase the temperatures that are already rising in connection with the climate crisis. Latif explained that both short-term natural fluctuations and long-term human influences combine to shape the temperature curve, resulting in nonlinear warming.
Researchers warn of bleaching of numerous corals
Researchers warn that these high temperatures are causing countless corals to bleach. The habitats of many marine animals are shifting towards the poles by several tens of kilometers per decade as a result of warming. The warmer water also causes sea levels to rise as it expands as it warms. This effect, along with the melting of ice, is a major contributor to the recent rise of about 20 centimeters. The warming of the oceans also has a major impact on weather patterns: evaporation releases more energy into the atmosphere, which can lead to more intense weather extremes.
Effects on oxygenation
Warming also affects the supply of oxygen to the oceans, as warmer waters are less able to store oxygen. This forces marine animals to settle for lower oxygen levels. In addition, the oceans absorb about 25 percent of the CO2 produced by humans, leading to acidification – an additional burden on calcareous organisms such as corals and other marine life.
The warming could go faster
It is worrying that warming may accelerate even further in the future. Because warmed and acidified seas can absorb less CO2, long-term emission reductions must be even more drastic to stay within a certain global warming limit, Latif warned. The oceans’ ability to absorb CO2 is already starting to show weaknesses, as it has not increased at the same rate as the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere in recent years. This problem is even more serious in terrestrial ecosystems such as forests that absorb CO2.
Source: Krone
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