The oceans are heating up, sea levels are rising and the Arctic ice is falling dramatically: a current report paints a bleak picture of the state of the world’s oceans.
Berlin – The world’s oceans are getting worse and worse. That comes from the fifth report of the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service.
In the annual report, 150 scientists commissioned by the European Commission show how quickly the oceans are changing due to human intervention.
The report names the worst consequences: The warming of the world’s oceans and the melting land ice lead to a rise in sea levels – in the Mediterranean area by 2.5 millimeters per year and worldwide by up to 3.1 millimeters. As an example of the impending consequences, the report cites the flooding of Venice in November 2019, when the water level rose to up to 1.89 meters. The warming of the oceans also means that sea creatures migrate to cooler waters or the populations of species are shrinking.
Despite #Arctic minimum #Sea #Ice extent not being a record low this year, it remains among the lowest recorded in the last 10 years!
Read more about how @CopernicusEU #Marine tracks Arctic sea ice extent and the date of its minimum extent 👉🏽https://t.co/M7BaVz46sc#ClimateChange pic.twitter.com/Z3eimkG8wp— Copernicus Marine (@CMEMS_EU) September 22, 2021
According to the report, the Arctic sea ice is steadily declining: Between 1979 and 2020, the Arctic lost an ice surface that is about six times the size of Germany. Since 1979, the ice has shrunk by 12.89 percent per decade. The lows were recorded in the past two years. The report warns that if the Arctic sea ice continues to melt, it could contribute to regional warming, erosion of the Arctic coasts and changes in global weather patterns.
Fish populations at risk
Another finding: Extreme fluctuations due to heat and cold waves in the North Sea are directly related to changes in fishing. The sole, European lobster, sea bass and edible crabs are mentioned here.
“Climate change, pollution and overexploitation have caused unprecedented stress on the ocean,” said Karina von Schuckmann, Chair of the Ocean State Report in a statement accompanying the report. The oceans cover most of the earth’s surface and regulate the climate. Accurate and timely monitoring is crucial in order to better understand the oceans and to be able to react to changes.
Copernicus is the European Union’s earth observation program. Its aim is to use satellite observations and measurements on earth to monitor the state of land, seas and atmosphere or climate change and its consequences. dpa
