The Effects of a Changing Ocean

As the Earth warms, the effects of climate change and global warming start to be revealed and create changes in our world. Climate change has the ability to destroy many of the familiar environments that exist in the ocean today and replace them with new ones that could have possible negative effects. 60% to 87% of the ocean will experience changes in a variety of ways by 2060 and the likelihood that an area of the ocean is affected increases for many of our protected marine areas. Areas like the Great Barrier Reef are expected to change faster and with greater effects. These protected environments are specifically designed to protect certain wildlife and changes in the ocean will undermine those efforts. As ocean conditions change, animals in those protected areas are likely to seek other more favorable locations for their survival. Changes in these areas not only affect marine life but also affect humans too. The scientists in the study used an example involving tuna. "For example, tuna thrive in certain ocean conditions. If the ocean gets too warm, the tuna may move to another area," Johnson said. "If your country depends on tuna for food or livelihood, what impact will that have?". It can also be a concern for human jobs: "if you're a manager of a protected area, and you're protecting a species that is no longer in the area, what do you do?". The changing ocean will prove to be detrimental to all life on Earth and we as humans must counteract that. 

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