OCG 301 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Sea Level Rise, Ocean Acidification, Arctic Ocean
Document Summary
Sea levels, coastlines, ocean currents, ocean acidification. Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases are preventing heat radiated from earth"s surface from escaping. Excess heat is being stored in the upper ocean. More than 90% of warming that has happened on earth has occurred in the ocean. Oceans will continue to absorb heat as the climate system warms. Heat already stored in the ocean will eventually be released, commiting. Warming will cause sea water to expand. The rate and magnitude of ocean warming will be affected by how the ocean circulates in the future. Warming ocean waters threaten marine ecosystems and human livelihoods. Evidence in the geological record of the global conveyor" turning off in the past. Wind circulation moves gulf stream waters and recirculates them back towards the equator. Cold, fresh water circulates around the northern ocean basins instead of the present warm currents. Frozen solid for past 3 million years.
