Oceans and Global Warming

All over the world ocean waters are warming, putting stress on marine ecosystems and sea life, already under siege from pollution, overfishing and habitat destruction.

Find out more about the link between warmer waters and fiercer hurricanes.

Wake-up Call: Oceans Warming Up
The oceans have been heating up for decades, and warning signs of troubled waters abound: bleaching corals, starving seabirds and shifting habitats.

Near the Tipping Point?
Seawater can absorb a huge amount of heat, more than the air, and helps delay faster climate change. But how much more heat can the ocean store?

Glaciers and the Food Chain
Melting glaciers could dramatically disrupt the way the ocean delivers nutrients to sea life, from tiny plants to seabirds, depriving them of food.

El Nino: A Future Warning?
Will El Nino events, natural weather variations, occur more often in a warmer world? Past events spelled disaster for some fish species.

Threats: Fish, Other Sea Life
Warmer waters and rising seas could have devastating effects on fish and sea birds, with declining food sources and impaired marshes and esturaries.

Threats: Coral Reef Bleaching
Coral reefs are taking hits from many stresses — pollution, harmful fishing practices, disease — but the most damaging may be warmer water.

Solutions: What We Can Do
We can soften the blow from climate change by supporting national efforts to cap global warming pollution and reduce other oceans stresses.

The Living Ocean Ecosystem
The Earth's oceans and atmosphere are akin to the human body's circulatory and respiratory systems. Like a person, the Earth needs good working parts to sustain itself.

Posted: 08-Jul-2007; Updated: 25-Aug-2009