Consequences of Climate Change on the Oceans

Abstract

Climate change has serious consequences on the ocean. Warming affects biological processes, inducing also destructive events such as melting of sea ice in polar regions, sea level rise, and stratification, which may in turn affect the marine biota and human societies. Accumulation of CO2 produces acidification and hypoxia. These changes alter in different degrees the marine biota, implying a geographic shift in species distribution and phenologic changes. Sea level rise is considered the biggest threat, negatively impacting on coastal ecosystems. Assessing these consequences, Lavaniegos focuses on cases taking place in North America, although she makes use of examples from other geographic regions in cases when methodological observations (long time series that require a baseline from which to discriminate temporal and sustainable impacts) are lacking.