Research Shows That Climate Change Has Increased Sea Surface Temperatures, Lessened Marine Diversity

If you are a Primary Two student, a U.S. citizen who voted for Trump, or a senior petrochemicals executive, allow me to announce something shocking: 

Climate change is real.

If you don’t believe it, take a dive underwater. Or, if you live near a coast, just stay where you are for fifty more years. 

Research Shows That Climate Change Has Increased Sea Surface Temperatures, Lessened Marine Diversity

New research published on Monday (5 Apr) has found a drastic decline in the variety of open-water marine species in tropical seas across the last forty years, TODAYonline reports. 

Examining data collected since 1955 on 48,661 marine species across the world, the study has found that the total number of species in tropical marine zones has been depleted by about half, as sea surface temperatures rose by 0.2°C.

Don’t let this seemingly insignificant decimal fool you—this is a huge deal.

This can have a great impact on how well sea water can accommodate different species, since every species has its own optimal temperature range for reproduction and growth.

A surprising number of species were also observed beyond the tropics, expanding their range of occurrence in search for cooler, more habitable waters, which Dr Sebastian Ferse, an ecologist not involved in the study, found “quite alarming”.

“In geological history, this has occurred in the blink of an eye,” he told TODAYonline in an interview.

While some species can move and migrate for better conditions, fixed species like corals do not have the same ability. Having swimmers relocate to more temperate waters while the corals are left behind, furthermore, will devastate ecosystems within coral reefs.

The prospects for these underwater gardens that are a cornerstone of marine biodiversity, therefore, are not optimistic.

Now, time for more bad news.

Warming Temperatures Also Pose a Threat

Warming temperatures are not the only threat climate change poses to marine biodiversity. Carbon dioxide emissions, which are intimately tied to global warming, can also cause ocean acidification, as CNA explains.

When carbon dioxide is dissolved in water, the acidity of sea water rises, potentially beyond what ocean life can survive in. Shellfish and other species with calcium carbonate shells, for example, may no longer be able to build their shells, or even be exposed to risks of dissolution.

The consequences are not only ecological, as The Straits Times points out. Marine life is an important economic resource for those whose livelihoods depend on fishing or tourism, and the deterioration of biodiversity in tropical waters jeopardises them gravely. 

Commercial fish stocks are expected to shrink significantly, with one study estimating an up to 40% decline within exclusive economic zones—waters up to 200 nautical miles from a country’s coast. Ocean acidification alone is expected to impose incur of up to US$1 trillion per year globally.

Equatorial coastal nations, such as Indonesia and those in West Africa, are expected to be hit the hardest, since their fish stocks will not be replenished by new species moving into their waters.

So, maybe think again the next time you set your air conditioning to 16 degrees. The fisherman in Liberia will thank you. Or the poor oyster trying to make its shell.

Feature Image: Solarisys / Shutterstock.com