We are in a climate emergency and the ocean is Earth’s climate regulator
Oceans are key to life on Earth. Forming one interconnected Global Ocean that covers more than seven-tenths of the planet, the oceans control the climate, the weather and the water cycle. The ocean is the planet’s largest ecosystem and largest carbon sink. It has buffered us from the most extreme impacts of climate change, absorbing most of the excess heat created from fossil fuels and over one-quarter of human-made carbon dioxide emissions annually.
While massive and still vastly unexplored, the ocean is also finite, fragile and fast-approaching irreversible tipping points. But ocean resilience is cause for optimism. The ocean could be our most powerful ally in addressing climate change. If we act immediately to protect marine ecosystems against the threats of pollution, warming and overfishing, we can safeguard ocean health and biodiversity, and in turn protect human health, wellbeing and survival. We all depend on the world beneath the blue surface. That’s why Parley works to keep marine ecosystems at the forefront of climate action — for the oceans, climate and all life on Earth.
Oceans have absorbed 90% of the excess heat trapped in the atmosphere from greenhouse gas emissions
When sunlight reaches the Earth, the oceans absorb solar energy and store it as heat. Water has a much higher heat capacity than air, allowing the oceans to store high amounts of energy without drastic changes in temperature. If all the heat the ocean absorbed from 1955 onward were suddenly added to the atmosphere, air temperatures would rocket by around 36°C Celsius (96°F). The ocean is our buffer, protecting all of us from feeling the totality of the heat from climate change directly. But excess warming is pushing the oceans beyond their limit.
waters are warming faster than ever
The world's oceans are now heating at the same rate as if five atomic bombs were dropped into the water every second, and temperatures are the highest ever recorded. Warming waters force marine mammals, fish, shellfish and crustaceans to search for colder water as their natural homes are no longer habitable. Melting sea ice is killing land animals like polar bears and penguins that rely on it for hunting. Sea warming also causes oxygen loss, another threat that sends species on the move in search of oxygenated waters. As waters warm, they expand. According to NASA, this effect is thought to contribute one-third to one-half of global sea level rise. Warmer air and waters also intensify storms.
ocean currents are slowing down
Scientists fear we are fast-approaching irreversible biospheric tipping points, including the disruption of the oceanic circulation system. Ocean currents act like a giant conveyor belt, transporting warm water and precipitation from the equator toward the poles and cold water from the poles back to the tropics. This system regulates climate, controls weather, influences migratory patterns, and distributes vital nutrients throughout the oceans. As sea waters warm, they expand, accelerating the positive feedback loop driving ice melt and slowing ocean currents, which can drastically change the climate and intensify severe weather on every continent on Earth.
the oceans are earth’s largest carbon sink & only long-term carbon storage
The oceans form the world’s largest carbon sink, absorbing about 31% of what humans put into the atmosphere and storing 50 times more carbon than the atmosphere, and 20 times more than land plants and soil combined. If protected, the ocean could continue to be our greatest ally in climate solutions. Kelp forests, for example, can sequester 20 times more carbon dioxide than terrestrial forests, and seagrass meadows store twice as much. A single whale can sequester more carbon dioxide than more than a thousand trees combined, and store it deep in the ocean.
ONE WHALE SEQUESTERS MORE CARBON THAN THOUSANDS OF TREES
Whales absorb an average of 33 tons of CO2 throughout their lives, all the while supporting phytoplankton production which contributes at least 50% of all oxygen to the Earth’s atmosphere and captures as much CO2 as 1.7 trillion trees, or four Amazon forests. Even in death, whales nourish the oceans. A whale fall to the seafloor sequesters carbon and feeds life in the deep. Economists have estimated the worth of one living whale at $2 million, and the planet's population at $1 trillion. That said, the true worth of a whale is inestimable and invaluable.
seawater has become 30% MORE ACIDIc
As the amount of CO2 in the air increases, so does the amount stored in the seas, resulting in ocean acidification. Since the industrial revolution began roughly 200 years ago, the oceans have gotten 30% more acidic. This acidic environment is especially harmful to marine life that rely on shells, like oysters and coral. Due largely to pollution, warming, acidification and overfishing, coral reefs could vanish by 2050. Although they cover less than 1% of the seafloor, corals are home to about 25% of all marine life.
phytoplankton has declined 40 percent
Phytoplankton and algae form the base of the marine food web and, through photosynthesis near the ocean surface, are responsible for more than 70%of Earth’s oxygen. Alarmingly, a 2010 study found global phytoplankton populations had diminished 40% over the last century, with the sharpest drops after 1950. This decline has coincided with steady increases in surface temperatures and ocean acidification in the years since the Industrial Revolution.
warming waters supercharge storms
Since the 1980s, each decade has been hotter than the last. As the atmosphere, land and waters warm, severe weather events become more frequent, longer-lasting and intense — from droughts to hurricanes. Warmer air and waters supercharge storms. As temperatures rise, more water evaporates, and more heat is transferred from the oceans to the air. More water vapor and heat makes for more bigger storms with more destructive winds, rainfalls, floods and surges. The destruction of natural storm buffers such as seagrasses and wetlands puts coastal cities at a greater risk of flooding and storm surge, especially with rising seas.
the seas are rising
The light surface of sea ice reflects up to 80% of incoming solar energy back into space. Water absorbs this heat. As the atmosphere, oceans and planet warm, sea ice is melting, and more heat is absorbed by expanding waters, accelerating the warming and melting cycle. As the seas rise, river deltas and coastal habitats — including human cities — are flooded, beaches are eroded, marshes and wetlands are lost, and saltwater infiltrates coastal aquifers and estuarine systems. Because of warming already locked in, the waters will rise. Flooding will get worse. Human activity decides by how much.
marine plastic pollution exacerbates climate change
99% of plastics are made from chemicals derived from fossil fuels, and the production of plastics is heavily polluting and carbon-intensive. Furthermore, new research shows plastics emit powerful greenhouse gasses with exposure to sunlight. As plastic breaks apart into smaller pieces, more cumulative surface area is exposed and high levels of gasses are emitted. Plastic debris — from plastic bags and bottles to fishing nets — also kills sea life, which in turn limits the carbon sequestration potential of the oceans.
with bold action, the oceans could rebound within 30 years
Ocean climate action is a crucial component of global efforts to curb planet-warming emissions and prevent a catastrophic future on Earth. Studies indicate marine ecosystems could bounce back to their full glory by 2050 if we act now and redouble conservation efforts. To keep this goal within reach we cannot afford to pass more critical tipping points. This is why we focus our work on the oceans. In 2015, Parley kicked off a series of talks at the UN General Assembly Hall in New York on the title “Oceans. Climate. Life.” The goal: keep the oceans at the forefront of climate negotiations. Learn more
