According to a new study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2017 was the hottest year ever recorded for the world’s oceans. And they aren’t likely to cool anytime soon.
Their findings indicate a “long-term warming trend driven by human activities.” Rising ocean temperatures result in less oxygen, which can have harmful consequences like coral reef bleaching and the melting of land and sea ice. And since water expands when it warms, it also contributes to sea-level rise.
Coral bleaching occurs when corals, stressed by heat increases, expel the algae they require to live, which in turn causes them to starve. Ocean acidification, exacerbated by increased CO2 levels from the burning of fossil fuels, also contributes to bleaching. Another study shows that the window to save our coral reefs is rapidly closing.
Learn more @ UN Climate Change