Marine Heatwave: A Crisis of Our Own Making
Created By RISC | 1 year ago
Last modified date : 1 year ago
This year we’re again clearly witnessing climate change, whether in exceptionally hot weather or a later and milder rainy season. But we could be overlooking another major sign: marine heatwaves.
Average surface water temperature around the world soared in August, shattering a record set in 2016 to become the highest temperature since 1991. Marine heatwaves are underway in the equatorial Pacific, the northeastern Pacific, the northwestern Pacific, the southwestern Pacific near New Zealand, the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, covering 48% of the world's oceans. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Marine Heatwave Forecast Monthly Report, marine heatwaves will cover nearly 50% of the world's oceans until February 2024.
So, what are ocean heat waves and how do they affect us?
Marine heatwaves occur when the surface temperature rises abnormally quickly for a long period. It can happen anywhere in the water and linger for weeks, months, or years. This incident is caused by heat absorption from the earth's surface caused by climate change. The phenomenon affects ocean ecosystems and coastal communities by disrupting food chains, bleaching coral reefs, causing the loss of animals and seabirds, and reducing biodiversity. Marine heatwaves are linked to the probability of extreme weather, resulting in heavy rain, unusually strong storms, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels.
Oceans are the world's largest ecosystem so any changes can have a massive impact on the entire planet. The source of the problem is greenhouse gas emissions from human activity. To improve all life on earth in the future, every sector must minimize greenhouse gas emissions from all activities.
Story by: Sirapach Mangkang, Geographic Information System (GIS) specialist, RISC
References:
https://psl.noaa.gov/marine-heatwaves/#report
https://marine.copernicus.eu/explainers/phenomena-threats/heatwaves