How does Climate Change Affect the Oceans?

How does Climate Change Affect the Oceans?
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How does Climate Change Affect the Oceans?
Introduction
The ocean is increasingly impacted by the rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and the continued emissions of other greenhouse gases due to human activities. Since the 1970s, oceans have been absorbing the significant share of global warming caused by humans. This implies that global warming could be controlled by human efforts to reduce greenhouse gases emissions. Oceans absorb the rising global temperatures, thus reducing the average temperatures in the atmosphere. That said, oceans are reaching their limits regarding the magnitude of heat that they can absorb. Accordingly, climate change disorients marine and coastal ecosystems, thus threatening the economic, physical, as well as food security of communities, including global businesses' sustainability. Climate change contributes to rising ocean levels, ocean acidification, and disorients ocean currents, thus undermining the functioning of marine ecosystems.
Rising Sea Level
Climate change causes a rise in sea level. Ocean levels may rise by two distinct mechanisms due to global warming. First, a rise in global temperatures causes oceans to warm and expand, taking up more ocean basin space increasing water levels. Second, the melting polar ice also adds to ocean waters, leading to rising sea levels (National Ocean Service, n.d.). The rapid melting of mountain glaciers significantly contributes to increasing global sea levels and subsequent deadly outburst floods (Scott & Lindsey, 2018). The other insignificant contributor to the rising ocean level is the reduction in the volumes of liquid water on land – reservoirs, lakes, aquifers, soil moisture, and rivers (Lindsey, 2020). These water shifts from land to oceans are attributed to groundwater pumping.
Ocean Acidification
Climate change results in high CO2 levels, which contribute to ocean acidification. More acidic oceans make marine ecosystems and species increasingly vulnerable. Ocean acidification undermines the capacity of aquatic life, including plankton, shellfish, and corals, to build their skeletal structures and shells. It also augments physiological stresses (e.g., impeded reproduction and respiration) and reduces development and survival rates during the initial life stages of certain species. Climate change also contributes to acid rain, which may land directly into coastal waters ...