Humans have been dumping pollution and greenhouse gases into the Earth’s atmosphere since the first switch to coal power in the 19th century. More than a hundred years of this practice has caused a great deal of planets for our planet. Whether it is referred to as global warming or climate change, the reality and severity of the effects of human beings on the planet have been seen. For many, evidence does not need to extend beyond direct effect to human populations, which includes record breaking heat waves, more instances of extreme weather, and the desertification of semi-arid land, but this would be an incorrect assessment. The effects of global warming are also clearly felt in the world’s oceans. This has been a fact well known to scientists for decades, but it was also an issue that is difficult to observe. Though it was previously nearly impossible to take temperature ratings for oceans across the world, technological advancements have allowed for the use thousands of meteorological stations, Antarctic research stations and satellite observations, which all collaborate to determine whether or not ocean warming is a significant phenomenon.
Across the globe, scientists have been conducting research to determine the extent that climate change has warmed the oceans and as a result, there have been many disturbing findings. The ocean plays an undeniably large role in the issue of global warming, because the world’s oceans play a large role in absorbing heat; heat which is more abundant because of greenhouse gas emissions. As more and more heat is absorbed by the ocean, surface temperatures will be affected the most. In an effort, which included looking at ocean temperature for the last century and the use of over 5.1 million measurements, scientists have determined that ocean temperatures are increasing at an uncharacteristically fast rate. For this reason, it is argued that the effects of global warming can most easily be seen when looking at the surface temperatures of oceans. In the last quarter century, surface temperature has increased at a rate nearly 10 times faster than the average rate of the century. In more specific terms, the normal increase in surface temperature for a year is about 1°F, but recently the rate would translate into an increase of 3.5°F. Though these rates are shocking, as well as a cause for great concern, scientists are even more surprised that ocean warming is occurring at greater depths. It has recently been discovered that ocean warming at depths beyond 700m contribute to about 1/3 of the sea level rise on a yearly basis. In the end, it has been found that between the years of 1961 and 2003, the rate of ocean warming is actually 50% higher than previously suspected.
Increasing surface temperatures have already had a great effect on ice caps and marine ecosystems. Many scientists believe that by the end of the century, or even sooner, arctic ice caps will be completely melted in the summer months. Additionally, marine ecosystems are collapsing as a result. Countless stories have been reported of marine species migrating to areas they previously would never be seen and as a result, the natural balance of these areas is seriously threatened. All of these occurrences can be considered serious evidence of the environmental dangers that global warming is causing and will continue to cause of human intervention does not subdue its effects.
