ocean climate essay

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De Anza College

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Considering that the US administration has initiated the steps needed to withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Agreement ratified in April 2017, you realize US citizens need to be better informed and understand what is at stake. So, you decided to write three letters to your local newspaper reminding their readers that climate change is a serious and imminent concern both globally and regionally. These letters will make up your on-line, mid-term essay. In your letters you must provide a clear, comprehensive, and concise scientific narrative to address the topics using the graphics discussed in class as supporting evidence. 



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Figures to be used for Midterm Essay Fig 1. Indicators of a warming world Fig. 2a - Variations of Surface Temperature anomaly (compared to mean of 1960-1980) since 1880 Fig 2.b – Decadal Variations of Surface Temperature Fig. 3 - Regional Surface Temperature Anomaly for period 2001-2007 Fig. 4 - Variations of measured CO2 concentration in atmosphere since 1958 Fig. 5 - Variations of T, CO2 and CH4 over last 450,000 years Fig 6a - Variations of Ice Mass on Greenland and Antarctica Fig 6b - Variations of Sea Ice extent in September since 1950 Fig 7 – Variations of measured Global Sea Level Fig 8 – Location of Heat accumulation due to Global Warming Fig. 9 – Global and Regional CO2 emissions variations since 1850 Fig 10 – Global distribution of anthropogenic SO 2 emission Fig 11 – Climate model predictions for surface Temperature Change for different scenarios Fig 12 – Blackbody Radiation intensity as a function of wavelength and for different temperatures of emitters Fig 13 – Temperature anomaly variations in the stratosphere and troposphere Fig 14 – Schematics of solar and longwave radiation absorption and emission in the atmosphere Fig. 15 – Predicted Global precipitation change (%) Fig 16 – Ocean thermohaline circulation (conveyor belt) Fig. 17 - Ocean pH change (acidification) Fig. 18 – Comparison between models and observations of temperature change since 1860 https://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/tar/wg1/figspm-4.htm Fig. 19 – Natural and anthropogenic forcings of upper ocean heat content Fig. 20 – Projected Temperature surface temperature changes for mid to end century IPCC AR4, 2007 Fig. 21 – Global Trends in Major Greenhouse Gases till 2003 Fig. 22 – Radiative Forcing https://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/figure-ts-5.html Fig. 23 - Earth Total Heat Content over time Fig.24. North Atlantic Circulation in region of deep water formation Fig. 25 - Solar Radiation Spectrum
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Attached.

Running head: OCEAN CLIMATE

1

Ocean climate
Name
Professor
Institution
Course
Date

OCEAN CLIMATE

2

Minister John Kohen
United States
Dear minister John Kohen
There is an urgent need for your leadership on ocean climate changes which continue to
threaten the marine ecosystems and the global climate. My name is Clair Upton from Deanza
College and a United States citizen. I am writing to you as an environmentalist due to a global
concern on the ocean climate changes. I understand your interest in implementing government
policies to reduce CO2 emissions and greenhouse gases to curb global warming. However, the
current state of the ocean climate is alarming thus there is a need for immediate and effective
solutions to the problem. Most consequences of the rising surface temperatures are observable and
any delay would lead to further consequences.
Basic facts of ocean climate
The ocean has a principal role of regulating the climate of the earth. The current increase
of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide (CO2) have impacted the ocean climate negatively. From
a report released by IPCC (intergovernmental panel on climate change) revealed that the ocean has
absorbed 93% of extra energy resulting from the greenhouse effect. Also, the increased ocean
temperatures are notable up to a depth of 1,000 meters (https://www.iucn.org/resources/issuesbriefs/ocean-and-climate-change). As a result, ocean stratification continues to increase at an
alarming rate. Figure 1 indicates the changes of ocean surface temperature across several decades.
From figure 1, there is a constant increase of surface temperature for two decades, from the 1980s
to 2012. From this figure, it is evident that the greenhouse effect has led to an increase of surface
temperature in the ocean.

OCEAN CLIMATE

3

Figure 1: Decadal variation of surface temperature (1980s to 2012).
However, the surface temperatures are expected to show an increasing trend in the near
future. This is because there is a continuous increase of carbon dioxide (CO2) and greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere. This is confirmed by Figure 2 which shows variations of atmospheric
concentrations of CO2 as measured in Hawaii since 1958 to 2000. Figure 2 confirms a steady
increase of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere which invokes the assumption that the CO2 levels
in the atmosphere will keep increasing if no action is taken. Consequently, the surface temperature
of the ocean will keep rising which will lead to adverse consequences on the marine ecosystems.

OCEAN CLIMATE

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Figure 2: Variations of atmospheric CO2 concentration from 1958.
The impact of the increased concentration of CO2 and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
has impacted the ocean climate as indicated in Figure 3. Resulting from global warming, 90.5%
of the ocean is warmer, the sea ice has reduced by 1.6%, 4.6% of the glaciers have already melted
and 3.3% of the ocean-atmosphere is warmer. This indicates that in future, the global warming
impact on ocean climate will be extreme.

OCEAN CLIMATE

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Figure 3: Location of heat accumulation resulting from global warming.
The adverse impacts of global warming on the ocean climate are no longer theoretical but
can be observed. The increase in surface temperature has already affected the marine system as
observed in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. Consequently, the biomass of phytoplankton has
increased, the indigenous zooplankton have moved northwards by 1000 kilometers for the past
decades and there is an observable increase of warm-temperature marine species in the North Sea.
The projections made on greenhouse effects prove an insight into a world characterized by
increased catastrophes like extreme temperatures, longer and more intense droughts, increased
tropical cyclones, crumbling ice sheets, human displacement emanating from the rise of the sealevel, floods, storms, extinction of millions of species and changes in regional precipitation as
presented in Figure 4. From figure 4, some regions will experience low precipitation while others
will experience increased precipitation. Based on the findings of 2006 reviews on climate change,
the projected risks and costs of climate change, if no efficient actions are taken, will be equivalent
to 5% of the global GDP annually.

OCEAN CLIMATE

6
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