Ocean Ecosystems
As the oceans absorb more carbon dioxide, the chemistry of seawater changes. This means that many of those at the bottom of the ocean’s food chain will struggle to make their shells. Nearly every sea creature from plankton to whales would be directly or indirectly affected. If the ocean food chains collapse, many people in the world who depend on fish for food will go hungry, and seafood may become a delicacy that only the wealthy can afford.
Warmer ocean waters could also cause coral reef “bleaching”, in which corals lose the algae that nourish them and die. According to the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report, this is very likely if sea surface temperatures increase 1 to 3 C in the next century as expected. Corals will also have a harder time making their skeletons in the carbon-dioxide enriched ocean chemistry and will suffer more physical breakage if tropical storms intensify as scientists project.