From news station to news station, most of us have heard and are aware that Global Warming is a real thing and is causing ocean warming and ocean level rise. Not only are Greenhouse gasses causing this, but they are causing our oceans to change color. While this may seem fine on the surface, this color change is associated with substantial consequences. The color change is caused by a decrease in marine phytoplankton. These miniature organisms contain a green pigment called chlorophyll, and change in the number of phytoplankton will affect the water’s apparent color. In the food chain, phytoplankton are part of the trophic level called the producers, which is the basis of the food chain. When the water becomes warmer, the population of phytoplankton will start to decrease and cause this change in the water. When this organism starts to decrease, the primary consumers which are fish and other small animals won’t have enough nutrition and they will start to decrease. With phytoplankton decreasing, it affects the whole ecosystem and it affects us. To make matters worse, phytoplankton are one of the organisms that takes in carbon dioxide instead of releasing it, thus helping greenhouse gases from rising too much.
Within a few decades, studies have shown that 50% of oceans will be affected by this change and will look bluer due to the decrease in phytoplankton. To put that in perspective, 140 million square miles will be affected. If we don’t take action, this will have a tremendous effect on our ecosystem and destabilize it even more. Let’s take initiative and LET’s DO THIS!
— Colin
Global Warming Will Cause the World’s Oceans to Change Color. Here’s Why.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/global-warming-will-cause-world-s-oceans-change-color-here-ncna968856.