Ocean warming 🔥

What are ocean effects on climate change

Warmer temps
Species range shifts and extinctions
Facilitation of invasive species
Increased hypoxia
Altered circulation
Sea level rise
Ocean acidification

Non - mobile species

(e.g., seaweeds, corals, oysters), which form the basis of many ecosystems

North American Marine Range Shifts

The center of marine species’ ranges will shift with warmer temperatures
Species will be lost from some areas, and move into new ones

Facilitation of Invasive Species

1. Changing water temperatures can increase the success of (facilitate) invasive species
2. Increased shipping is an important method of introduction

Hypoxia

Hypoxia” is low dissolved oxygen
Marine species need oxygen in the water, just like we need oxygen in the air
Warming increases hypoxia in several ways:
Increased stratification
Increased metabolism
Decreased solubility of oxygen

stratification

the creation of layers in the water
Warming creates a warm layer on top of a cold layer
They don’t mix
Oxygen stays near the surface
Bottom waters have hypoxia

Impacts of Decreased Solubility of Oxygen

Cold water can hold more dissolved gases than warm water
So warming waters naturally have less oxygen

impacts of Increased Metabolism

Warmer environments require animals to breathe more
Think about exercising on a hot day vs. a cold day
Especially in shallow waters, organisms could create hypoxia just by using up all the oxygen