Ocean Temperatures Warmest on Record
Susanna Murley on July 31st, 2009Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released data that shows that global ocean temperatures rose to the warmest level since global recording-keeping began in 1880. Warmer oceans have a huge impact on sea level rise, marine animals and coral reefs, and weather. Warmer waters give storms more energy to race across the ocean and turn into on-land disasters.
Scientists are already warning that huge swaths of corals could be lost in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico this year due to warmer water temperatures. Coral bleaching, caused when temperatures rise by just a few degrees, destroys the food supply and habitat for the animals that live in them, leaving the reefs white and empty.
Not just tropical fish, but Antarctic species are being threatened as well. Animals at the bottom of the food chain—molluscs, limpets and scallops—lose mobility and become more susceptible to predators. This disrupts the food chain and can endanger larger animals and birds. “If the warming goes on at the same rate for 50 years or 100 years then lots of populations of animals I work on, and maybe entire species, would be at risk,” said a professor who studies these animals.
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