This will happen due to changes in phytoplankton content.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) predict that by the end of the century, the color of more than half (63%) of the world’s oceans will change. Writes about this Phys.org.
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As the scientists explain, the color of the water largely depends on the phytoplankton living in it. And as the water temperature rises, the composition of this phytoplankton will change.
Water molecules absorb almost all sunlight except for the blue part of the spectrum, which is reflected back. Therefore, “clean” areas of the open sea from space appear dark blue. Phytoplankton, on the other hand, contains chlorophyll, a pigment that absorbs mainly the blue part of the sunlight spectrum and to a lesser extent green. As a result, algae-rich areas appear green.
There will be no radical “repainting”: in fact, the blue areas in the subtropics will become even bluer due to the decrease in the amount of phytoplankton. And green towards the poles will become even greener – there the water bloom will intensify. Scientists remind that phytoplankton are at the base of marine food webs and also regulate carbon dioxide in the atmosphere – just like land plants. Thus, abrupt changes threaten the balance of the entire ecosystem.
Other important news about the threat of global warming:
• Environmentalists argue that humanity still has a chance to keep global warming within 1.5 ° С (compared to pre-industrial levels) until the end of the century. But for this, it is necessary to gradually phase out fossil fuels, and the process must be started right now.
• Scientists recently warned of an accelerated warming of the world’s oceans. If left unchecked, thermal expansion will raise sea levels by an additional 30 centimeters by the end of the century.
• Researchers from Stanford University have come to the conclusion that 252 million years ago, global warming almost destroyed almost all life on Earth. And this scenario may repeat itself.
