A new study conducted by researchers at California has revealed that greenhouse gas emissions which result in global warming could drastically suppress the marine productivity in the coming years. The new study predicts 20 percent less marine biological productivity by 2300, and it will be characterized by the 9.6-degree Celsius increase in mean surface air temperature.
The study report published in the Journal Science urged authorities to implement various measures to combat temperature rise, as a failure to control the heat will result in drastic wind pattern change, increase in ocean surface temperatures, and melt in almost all the sea ice in polar regions.
The increased rise in temperature will also affect the growth of planktons in the sea, which will in turn negatively affect the growth of marine beings.
As temperature increases, plankton will move to the deep regions of the ocean to survive. In these times, the marine animals that live on the surface will fail to find enough plankton for their needs, and as a result, their production will be dropped by 20 percent.
"Marine ecosystems worldwide will be increasingly starved for nutrients. The climate is warming rapidly now, but in the ocean, most of that added heat is still right at the surface. It takes centuries for that heat to work its way into the deeper ocean, changing the circulation and removing the sea ice, which is a big part of this process. This is what's going to happen if we don't put the brakes on global warming, and it's pretty catastrophic for the oceans," lead author J. Keith Moore of the University of California told Reuters.
Even though this hard scenario can be expected only by 2300, Moore said that we should at least think about 1000 years ahead of our planet's wellbeing. "We need to be thinking 1,000 years into the future, not 100 years. Global warming isn't a problem our children can solve - it will be too late," added Moore.
Moore stressed that it will be catastrophic for oceans if we fail to control the temperature rise in the future.
