Climate Change
and Oceans
Dr.rer.nat. Wiwin Windupranata
Climate Changes
Sign of Changes
Sea Level Rise
Ocean Acidification Ocean Heat Rise
Sea Level Rise
Reason for Rise
As our world warms, rising temperatures affect sea level in several important ways
Sea Level Rise
Reasons for Rise
Sea Level Rise
Further Influence on Sea
Level
Sea Level Rise
Behind the Numbers
Scientists use two different measurements of sea level.
Relative sea level is the height of the
ocean relative to the land elevation at a particular location.
Sea Level Rise
Vital Sign
After roughly 2,000 years with little change, average global sea levels rose throughout the 20th century, and in recent years the rate of change has accelerated:
0.15 cm/year from 1870-2008
Sea Level Rise
Important !
While absolute sea level has
Ocean Acidification
The Ocean and Carbon
Ocean Acidification
The Ocean and Carbon
Because the concentration of CO2 is higher in the air than in the ocean, it diffuses into
seawater
Tiny photosynthetic microbes called phytoplankton, absorb it and use it to make food,
Ocean Acidification
More Carbon, More Acidic Water
Ocean Acidification
The Ocean and Carbon
Warmer sea surface temperatures have caused phytoplankton
productivity to decrease in the last century, which means the plants can't take up as much CO2
This combination of more CO2 entering the ocean and less of it
Ocean Acidification
Acidic Water and Marine Life
Ocean Heat
Heat Storage and
Movement
Heat is stored in the ocean and transported through it in a
number of ways
Because the ocean's heat content influences sea surface
Ocean Heat
Warming and Ocean Dynamic
Ocean Heat
Warming and Ocean Dynamic
In addition, water expands as it warms, so as ocean temperatures climb, sea levels also rise
Ocean Heat
Ocean Life
Ocean Heat
Ocean Life
Sea Surface Temperature
Dynamic Surface Water
Sea Surface Temperature
Dynamic Surface Water
Changes in sea surface temperature have a tremendous impact on the marine ecosystem, influencing where plants and animals live;
altering migration or breeding patterns; threatening ocean life; and affecting the frequency, intensity, and location of algal blooms
Sea Surface Temperature
Global Climate
Ice Loss
The Cryosphere
Earth has many frozen features, including sea, lake, and river ice; snow cover; glaciers, ice caps; ice sheets; and frozen ground
Ice Loss
The Cryosphere
Ice Loss
Shrinking Sea Ice
Sea ice extent is decreasing due to warmer air temperatures, warmer ocean temperatures, and due to wind blowing ice fragments out of the Arctic Ocean.
As sea ice melts, the Arctic's ability to stabilize the Earth's climate
declines, escalating a "feedback loop" of more solar energy
absorption, higher air
