Introduction
It is essential to emphasize that the ocean has long absorbed the brunt of human-caused global warming. The ocean, as the most significant carbon sink on the planet, captures the excess warmth and power emitted by rising greenhouse gas releases that are retained by the Earth’s system. This excess heat and energy is heating the ocean, and temperature changes are leading to unprecedented ongoing effects, such as ice melt, sea level increase, sea thermal heat waves, and ocean acidification. Thus, it is essential to determine the causes of the change in the water level and its impact on humans and marine biology.
Changes in the Level of the Sea
Climate change is resulting in a significant rise in global sea levels. In the past few decades, the ocean has been warming nearly 40% faster than it was in the middle of the last century, and water levels are rising at an accelerated rate (Ghos 81). The average level of the world’s oceans has risen about 21 cm since 1900, with an increase of 7.5 cm in the last 25 years. Each year, water levels have grown by 3.2 millimeters (Ghos 90).
Moreover, this may seem like a paltry figure, but the rate at which the sea level is changing today is 2.5 times higher than it was just a decade ago. For example, since 1993, water levels in some ocean basins have risen by 15-20 cm (Ghos 104). Regional variations are attributed to the changing power of winds and streams, which affect the amount and location of warmth stored in the underlying marine layers.
The main reason for the relatively steep rise in water levels has been increased global temperatures caused by human activity. Scientists from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) calculate that even with low greenhouse gas emissions, the sea level is likely to rise by at least 30 cm from its 2000 value by 2100 (Ghos 105). If the world community does not affect the number of emissions in any possible way, then in 80 years, we can expect the level of the world’s oceans to rise by 2.5 meters. For instance, 80% of the territory of the Maldives is one meter above sea level (Ghos 105). Hence, the change in the sea level may lead to fatal consequences, and the state itself may completely disappear under the water.
Furthermore, two main factors influence the rising water level: glacier melting and the heating of the seas and oceans. Higher water temperatures are a big problem for the world today. When water gets warmer, it expands, meaning it occupies more space. Currently, the temperature of the oceans on Earth is the highest it has ever been observed. The world’s oceans absorb about 90% of all heat, slowing the heating of the atmosphere.
Similarly, scientists are concerned about melting glaciers (Tapley 47). Over the past few decades, their losses have increased fivefold. The melting rate of the Greenland ice sheet has increased sevenfold since 1992, and that of Antarctica has increased sixfold since the 1980s (Tapley 51). The contribution of glacial melting, with little consideration of groundwater transport, to sea level rise is nearly twice as much as the thermal increase of surface water.
The melting of sea ice reduces the white surface area and consequently increases the dark surface area of the ocean, which absorbs solar radiation well. It has been estimated that snow-covered sea ice absorbs about 20% of the solar radiation falling on it, while the ice-free ocean surface absorbs more than 90% (Tapley 56). Hence, the warmer the ocean gets, the more the glaciers melt, leading to even more exceptional heat absorption by the ocean. The minimum sea ice area in the Arctic has decreased by 44% since 1979 (Tapley 59). At this rate, some predict that by the middle of this century, the Arctic will be virtually ice-free during the summer months. Accordingly, the influence of the climate on the level of the world ocean is significant and leads to sharp changes in its level.
Risk to Human Life
The primary concern of rising sea levels is the flooding of coastal areas. Small island nations and territories in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, such as Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, or Hawaii, will be the first to feel the effects of climate change and rising water levels (Hauer et al. 30). This is because the worsening of the water level can lead to their extinction through natural disasters. Consequently, this affects people’s lives, who may suffer from natural disasters and lose all their property (Hauer et al. 31). Additional warming of the sea makes it difficult for fish to reproduce, which will harm marine fisheries, which are one of the primary sources of income for the residents of these regions.
A slightly warmer ocean causes more severe hurricanes, typhoons, and storms, devastatingly affecting coastal cities. Eight of the world’s ten most significant metropolitan areas, home to hundreds of millions of people, are near the coast. Studies suggest that between 1963 and 2012, nearly half of all hurricane deaths in the Atlantic happened because of storm surges caused by warming oceans (Hauer et al. 33). In addition, rising water levels threaten the infrastructure of cities and industry and threaten to contaminate drinking water sources as well. Not only will freshwater sources suffer from salty seawater, but agriculture will suffer, causing mass starvation. As a consequence, global migration and climate refugees can be expected.
Besides this, apart from the risk to the life and property of people living in the coastal areas, the increase in sea level may impact other people. By 2100, a one-meter rise in sea level with zero population growth will affect 410 million people worldwide (Tang 1859). The World Bank predicts that by 2050, the damage to the world economy only from flooding will be up to $52 billion a year. This figure could rise to $1 trillion a year if the damage from a direct rise in sea level is included in the floods (Tang 1859). Hence, changes in the climate inevitably create disadvantages for people’s livelihoods and economic well-being.
Danger to Marine Biology
Sea level changes can significantly affect marine life, including fish, animals, and invertebrates. Climate change can lead to the inundation of coastal areas, which are essential habitats for many marine species. For instance, this could affect mangrove areas, which provide ideal conditions for egg-laying and a habitat for many fish species and other aquatic organisms (Tapley 82).
Moreover, warmer water in the oceans increases their acidity and reduces oxygen levels, negatively affecting biodiversity and ecosystems. Coral reefs will disappear almost completely if the global temperature increases by 2 °C compared to the pre-industrial era (Tapley 83). In addition, sea level changes can affect the lives of marine animals, such as corals and mollusks. Rising water temperatures and changes in the chemical composition of the ocean can affect their life cycles, leading to a decrease in their numbers and biodiversity.
Furthermore, the heating of ocean water has led to large-scale coral bleaching. According to scientists, more than 80% of corals may disappear in a few decades. In 1998, 16% of the world’s coral reefs died due to coral bleaching caused by climate change (Kennish 53). Record-high temperatures in 1998 and 2005 deprived the reefs of nutrients and completely bleached them (Kennish 54). Meanwhile, the carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean increased its acidification level. It has become more complicated for reefs to recover from damage caused by storms and other catastrophes and adapt to rising sea levels in such conditions.
Corals are an element of the food chain; without them, other species are at risk of extinction for much marine life. In addition, the reefs protect coastlines from strong waves. Many marine species have changed ranges in response to ocean warming, melting sea ice, and loss of oxygen in the water since about 1950 (Kennish 68). For example, the emperor penguins fed on the Antarctic krill, which moved south. This makes it harder for the birds to get food and reduces the places where they can live.
Arctic and Antarctic animals have been most affected by climate warming. Over the past 30 years, the area of ice in the Arctic seas, as measured in summer, has decreased by half (Kennish 81). Polar bears, usually foraging on drifting ice floes where seals used to congregate, are forced to move inland. Hunger forces them to feed on lemmings and bird eggs, including going to landfills in populated areas. Researchers note that starvation makes adults capable of attacking cubs.
In addition, warmer waters, which contain less plankton, have threatened the survival of several northern species of whales. Increasing ocean temperatures are causing many cetacean species to seek more suitable habitats. The number of species that have adapted to living in polar conditions may decrease, and for many, it will be impossible to move to a new habitat (Kennish 77). Shrinking ice areas can particularly affect Arctic species such as minke, beluga, and polar whales. Also, changes in the ice structure cause so-called “trap” effects, such as ice holes, which are vital for the breathing of whales, changing their habitual location, or getting completely drawn up. For instance, 500 narwhals recently died in Canada because of this (Kennish 76). Warming waters also contain less plankton, which the whales feed on, leading to increased mortality.
Conclusion
In summary, climate change is one of the biggest threats to the planet. Sea levels are changing due to rising air temperatures and deteriorating glaciers, leading to melting ice and increasing ocean water volume. This process has significant negative consequences for marine biology and human life.
In particular, sea level change can lead to flooding coastal cities and islands, resulting in the loss of housing, destruction of infrastructure, and reduced economic potential. Sea level rise also affects marine biology, changing the composition and structure of marine ecosystems. It can decrease the number of living organisms that depend on the coast, such as fish and other marine animals. Therefore, climate change and rising sea levels significantly influence people’s lives and marine biology.
Works Cited
Ghosh, Amitav. The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable. Penguin UK, 2018.
Hauer, Mathew E., et al. “Sea-level Rise and Human Migration.” Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, vol. 1, no. 1, 2020, pp. 28-39. Web.
Kennish, Michael J. Practical Handbook of Marine Science. CRC Press, 2019.
Tang, Kuok Ho Daniel. “Climate Change in Malaysia: Trends, Contributors, Impacts, Mitigation and Adaptations.” Science of the Total Environment, vol. 650, 2019, pp. 1858-1871. Web.
Tapley, Byron D., et al. “Contributions of GRACE to Understanding Climate Change.” Nature Climate Change, vol. 9, no. 5, 2019, pp. 358-369. Web.