Global Warming Ocean Impacts and Feedbacks

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Global WarmingOcean Impacts and Feedbacks

• By Josh Gardner

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The Ocean

• The ocean makes up 76 of the planet.
• The ocean moves energy out of the tropics to the
  rest of the world which creates weather.
• The ocean adds moisture to the air.
• The ocean is very important in global climate.
• The ocean contains great amounts of CO2

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Ocean Thermohaline Circulation
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Ocean Thermohaline Circulation

• This circulation starts in the gulfs where warm
  salty water moves north where it cools.
• When it cools, it becomes more dense and the salt
  allows it to sink.
• The current then moves South where is starts
  over.
• This movement allows CO2 to be absorbed

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Ocean Thermohaline Circulation

• The thermohaline Circulation has had a 40
  decrease in intensity.
• It appears to be slowing.
• The thermohaline circulation also has an
  important role of supplying heat to the polar
  region which regulate the amount of ice in these
  areas.

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Impact on the Ocean

• The Ocean has absorbed nearly half of the carbon
  emitted by humans since 1850.
• This weakens the thermohaline circulation which
  also weakens the intake.
• CO2 from the atmosphere diffuses into the ocean.
• A lot of CO2 creates carbonic acid.
• This means the pH of the ocean drops and the
  ocean becomes more acidic.

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Marine Life

• Marine plants soak up carbon dioxide and use it
  during photosynthesis.
• The CO2 is also used to make skeletons and shells
  of the ocean creatures
• The ocean needs CO2
• Plankton is the basis of all of the food chains
  in the ocean.
• When the ocean in low in CO3 and becomes acidic,
  plankton becomes deformed
• This could devastate the oceans food chains

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Bleached Coral

• Bleached coral is when the little organisms
  living on the coral die
• This is caused by the climate change and by an
  acidic ocean

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Conclusion

• We know that the ocean has helped tremendously in
  slowing down global warming, but that help will
  stop.
• The ocean acidification depends on the amount of
  CO2 , not the climate.
• That means that geoengineering does nothing for
  helping the ocean.
• We are causing a major effect on our oceans.

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• Global Climate Change Ocean Impacts and
  Feedbacks
• Julia Cole, Associate Professor of Geosciences
• Notes taken from lecture on November 7, 2006