Climate Change - Effect on Marine Life
Effect of Climate Change on Marine ecosystem The world’s oceans cover approximately 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, indicating their importance to the global environment. In addition to having a large influence on global heat transport and precipitation, the oceans are comprised of diverse habitats that support a wealth of marine wildlife. They also provide humans with a wide variety of goods and services including foods, recreational opportunities, and transportation corridors. Based upon current scientific evidence, emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities are projected to cause significant global climate change during the 21st century. Such climate change will create new challenges for coastal and marine ecosystems that are already stressed from human development, land-use change, environmental pollution, and over-fishing. Climate change is likely to alter patterns of wind and water circulation in the ocean environment. Such changes may influence the vertic...