Hey Guys! I hope you guys are safe with the Omicron variant. Please social distance and wear your masks when you are around strangers. Thinking about the ocean, I felt that day's post should be about the dangerous effects that climate change forces upon oceans. Let's get started...
When we talk about climate change with oceans, we should start with heat. Oceans absorb some of the heat that reaches them. Ocean level temperatures are significant because the water's surface gives energy for storms, eventually affecting weather patterns. If seas take in more heat, this can cause storms to get stronger, leading to extreme weather events. These storms can disrupt ecosystems. Since water expands when the oceans are warmed, this can also disrupt ecosystems. Sea surface temperatures change differently in different parts of the world. The circulation patterns for oceans change when the sea surface temperatures increase, altering ecosystems, which could cause different species being there, lack of nutrients, and changes in habitats. Increasing sea temperatures cause increased water vapor, leading to extreme and rising precipitation. This can also cause health issues because increased temperatures develop more bacteria. Rising sea levels could cause coastal areas to be flooded. When there is not much coastal land, it can transform ecosystems, causing many animals to lose their habitats. Do we want that? No, we do not want that. As oceans take in carbon dioxide, they could produce carbonic acid. This could increase acidity, changing the minerals in the water, making it more dangerous and worse for some plankton, coral, and the species that depend on them. I do not want these species to struggle for survival. I hope you think that, too! But, climate change also has some not-so-well-known and detrimental effects on health.
Climate change causes extreme weather events, affecting humans and other living organisms. Pregnant women are vulnerable to extreme weather events because it can affect their mental health and the baby's health. Construction workers and first responders tend to be in severe weather and are exposed to insects carrying diseases, making them vulnerable. Indigenous people are also at risk because changes in the farming or growing season can cause a lack of safety and nutritional value. Children and older adults are also especially vulnerable when they face extreme heat. There have been hotter events, causing heart stroke, attacks, and exhaustion. The "urban heat island" is where higher temperatures increase in a massive and heavily populated city. This can cause increased hospitalizations, but this can change if beneficial and significant actions are taken towards climate change. Same for cold-weather events because it can increase respiratory illnesses. Cold-weather events are predicted to decline as temperatures rise. There are fewer cold-related deaths because they can be prevented and do not directly impact humans. As temperatures increase, we can see that the demand for air-conditing has also increased.
The amounts of natural gas and heating degrees days, how much energy it takes to heat a building, have decreased since 1974. Since air-conditioning has gone up, the usage of fossil fuels has also gone up. But when electricity prices go up, people might reconsider switching to another form of energy, allowing them not to contribute any more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. This might take a long time to achieve, but carbon dioxide levels will skyrocket when this is achieved. Changes in growing seasons can have adverse effects because of the lack of adequate food for humans. It can also prevent certain crops from growing in that area. Do we really want this for us? No! This can decrease the population of human beings overall. This is another reason why we should combat climate change. Some things you can do are some things you can do to combat climate change are recycling, participating in cleanups, educating people, using less plastic, walking, biking, planting plants, conserving water, buying reusable stuff, participating in peaceful protests, talking to people, putting a bucket in the shower when you shower, buy local produce, build a garden and grow fresh produce, and buy organic produce. I hope that this post was very informative for you.
Try to make a small or big difference to change the world for the better.
-Robotics Girl
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