A saildrone observed the growth and decay of a bloom of ocean plants in the Alaskan Arctic in late summer 2017. Such blooms affect the rate of regional ocean acidification, which occurs as surface waters absorb human-produced carbon dioxide.
Springtime melting and retreating sea ice allowed more sunlight to reach the upper layers of the ocean, stimulating widespread blooms of algae and other tiny marine plants which form the base of the marine food chain: a sign of the rapid changes occurring in a warming Arctic.
The oyster hatchery industry on the U.S. West Coast nearly collapsed when they were caught off guard by increasing acidity in the coastal waters. In Maine, an oyster grower is testing whether new NOAA-funded technology can prevent a repeat on the East Coast.
In 2016, daily temperatures in Alaska that were warmer than average outnumbered those that were cooler than average by a 9 to 1 ratio.
Warming sea surface temperatures from climate change are pushing populations of the American Lobster (Homarus americanus) farther north than ever before.
For New Englanders, the saying “as American as apple pie” may as well be “as New England as lobster.” But warming sea surface temperatures from climate change are forcing populations of the American lobster to higher latitudes than ever before—and upending fishing communities on the New England coast.
Northwest Passage clear of ice again in 2016
September 16, 2016
In the 2015 edition of the State of the Climate report, climate and biology experts wrote about some dramatic impacts of warming on life in the ocean.
Ocean heat storage has increased substantially since 1993, hitting a record high in 2015, according to the State of the Climate in 2015 report. Ocean warming accounts for over 90% of the warming in Earth’s climate system.