The World's Oceans Are Hurtling Toward Breaking Point

"For life on Earth, the oceans are essential. Not only do they supply us with food and resources, they also play a big role in maintaining a stable climate: between one-quarter to one-third of all CO 2 emitted by humans, which would otherwise stay in the atmosphere to further intensify climate change, is captured and stored by the sea. But the oceans are in trouble."

"An international team, led by the National Center for Ecosystem Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has modeled how the pressure placed on the world's oceans could change in the future. Their analysis projects that by around 2050, the cumulative pressure on the oceans could increase 2.2- to 2.6-fold compared to today. The most rapid increases in impact will occur near the equator, at the poles, and in coastal areas."

Oceans supply food and resources and absorb roughly one-quarter to one-third of human-emitted CO 2, helping stabilize climate. Human pressures including overfishing, pollution, warming, and acidification already stress marine systems. Models that integrate 17 global datasets indicate cumulative pressures could rise 2.2–2.6-fold by about 2050, with the fastest increases near the equator, the poles, and coastal zones. A doubling of cumulative impact within decades would intensify biodiversity loss and undermine fisheries, coastal livelihoods, and the ocean’s capacity to sequester carbon. Rapid, widespread increases in pressure create urgency for mitigation and management actions.

Read at WIRED