Impact On Marine Wildlife
Extreme heat in the oceans devastates coral reefs , which thrive in a narrow range of temperatures . Warm water is best for corals and their symbiotic algae , ideally between 23 and 29 degrees Celsius . If it gets much hotter , the algae that coexist with and provide food for the tiny coral polyps will be expelled , and the corals will bleach . Corals can die if the ocean water doesn ’ t cool quickly or if bleaching events happen repeatedly . Between 1950 and 2021 , the ocean reefs have lost half of their capacity to provide ecosystem services .
Ocean temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius in the Florida Keys could harm coral and cause problems for all marine life , as evidenced by previous marine heat waves .
The so-called “ Blob ,” a persistent marine heat wave in the northeast Pacific Ocean from 2014 to 2016 , caused a chain of events that upended entire aquatic ecosystems . It greatly impacted organisms , large and small , throughout the food chain . High surface temperatures caused krill populations to decline , and a harmful algal bloom spread in shellfish from Alaska to Southern California , shutting down the clam industry .
In February 2024 , researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration completed a mission to assess the impact of the 2023 marine heat wave on corals in the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary . Their preliminary findings are worrisome . The scientists found extreme heat killed nearly 80 percent of the approximately 1,500 staghorn coral ( Acropora cervicornis ), which provide critical habitat for a host of other marine life .
“ The findings from this assessment are critical to understanding the impacts to corals throughout the Florida Keys following the unprecedented marine heat wave ,” said Sarah Fangman , the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary superintendent . “ They also offer a glimpse into coral ’ s future in a warming world . When the ecosystem experiences significant stress in this way , it underscores the urgency for implementing updates to our regulations , like the Restoration Blueprint , which addresses multiple threats that will give nature a chance to hold on .”
In recent years , extreme heat has forced wildlife to feed closer to shore , entangling whales in fishing gear and stranding thousands of California sea lions . Tens of thousands of seabirds have also died due to extreme temperatures .
Impact On Fisheries
Heat waves have also caused fishery disasters , affecting populations of sardines — a key feeder fish for larger marine species — and causing the collapse of select salmon and cod fisheries .
Between 2014 and 2016 , the marine region along the Pacific coastline of the Baja California Peninsula in
Mexico experienced an unprecedented period of intense and prolonged marine heatwaves that impacted local marine ecosystems . A team of scientists from Stanford University published a study in Nature in November 2024 in which they calculated that during this period of elevated sea temperatures , lobster , sea urchin , and sea cucumber fisheries suffered a 15 to 58 percent decrease in aggregate landings , particularly impacting small-scale fisheries .
“ In the face of extreme environmental shocks such as marine heatwaves , small-scale fisheries operating near biogeographic transition zones are among the most vulnerable ,” they write .
The Era Of Global Boiling
Warmer ocean temperatures have long-term impacts on the environment . This includes a reduction in the ability of the ocean to take up carbon dioxide . Warm water holds less gas , including carbon dioxide — the most important greenhouse gas — than cool water . So , as the ocean warms , less heattrapping gas is removed from the air , and more stays in the atmosphere . It ’ s a vicious cycle : as the ocean warms , less carbon dioxide is absorbed , and more remains in the air , which causes the planet to heat up even more .
Marine heat waves are parallel to heat waves on land , as evidenced by 2023 ’ s record-setting terrestrial heat waves in the southeastern United States , Southern Europe , and China . Studies of these heat waves reveal that they would have been “ virtually impossible ” without human-caused climate change . In July 2023 , United Nations Secretary- General António Guterres declared , “ The era of global warming has ended ; the era of global boiling has arrived .”
Still , there is some good news . In 2022 , the Inflation Reduction Act was passed , which directs $ 369 billion in investments toward modernizing the U . S . energy system . This includes reducing climate pollution by 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 . While this is not enough , it ’ s an essential first step .
When we first recognized climate change as a serious concern many decades ago , there were no clear solutions or answers to the enormous challenges that climate scientists projected . However , with the falling cost of solar and wind energy , better battery storage , and crucial gains in energy efficiency , viable solutions that are much less expensive than burning fossil fuels are available .
Exceptionally warm global waters will not disappear . However , we can avoid the worst impacts of climate change and even hotter water temperatures by taking rapid action to strengthen local , state , and national climate policy initiatives .
This article was originally produced by Earth • Food • Life , a project of the Independent Media Institute , and is reprinted here according to their guidelines .
The Trial Lawyer 79