User talk:Piff12

Ocean Climate Change

Caroline 5/28/07

“Help!! I’m hungry. No krill and my blue whale’s belly is empty because, natural gasses in the air are making the atmosphere thicker. The atmosphere is trapping more sunrays than it should because of this. For quite some time now the ocean temperature has been overcooking my food (about 0.2˚C- 0.6˚C). In New Zealand the ocean temperature has risen 1˚C (a little bit more than the global average!!) Did you know about a century ago there were 250,000 blue whales now there are only about 1,000?” said by Bloo Wale

The rise in sea temperature has a direct effect on sea animals. The famous Great Barrier Reef in Australia is dying. It has nearly 400 different species of coral. The warming ocean is becoming acidic and bleaching the coral, it may not have a chance to recover. 97% of the staghorn and elkhorn coral is gone from Florida in the Caribbean Sea. Also the Western Caribbean lost 50% of hard coral. Nearly 16% of the world’s coral is dead. White Beaked Dolphin’s are reducing because they can’t get used to warm water and their prey fish and squid can. Sharks have been seen in Scottish water that’s unusual because they are normally in coastal waters. For the first time the short snouted seahorse has been found in British Waters, that’s unusual because short snouted seahorses are normally in Mediterranean waters.

It is not only ocean animals that are affected by climate change. In fact polar animals are maybe the most affected by climate change. Walruses are having a harder time finding food now that the ice shelves are moving. The ice shelves hold the clams they feed on. One of the worlds largest land carnivores, the polar bear, is drowning because of the melting ice. In Heard Island, Australia 34 glaciers have decreased by 11%!! Did you know over the last three decades the Artic sea ice thinned by 43%? The Polar bear population has dropped nearly 17%. Scientists’ think the polar bear population will drop 30% by the middle of the next century. The Chinstrap penguins are moving into Adelie penguin territory because of the rising temperatures. The populations of seals are dropping because polar bears are using them as their main food source.

Polar animals may not become extinct, but life of the Bering Sea is not that lucky because a bit of the Bering Sea life is at risk of extinction. Some examples are Kittlitz’s Murrelet, Northern Pacific Right Whale, Northern Sea Otter, Rougheye Rockfish, Northern Fur Seal, and Yellow-billed Loon. It is not possible to make new homes for sea animals that can’t live in warm water. They have to find or make new homes on their own. For example, sea lions in Alaska cannot be moved to another place or to a zoo, they need to find a good place to live on their own. Some sea animals will get used to climate change but some will not. Like in the Big Ice Age, polar bears got used to it, but mammoths couldn’t so they became extinct.

Ocean climate change isn’t that bad for sea some animals. The pacific salmon is increasing in numbers. The common dolphin that loves warm water is also growing in population.

The sea temperature has been rising, and the coral bleaching. The polar bears drowning, and most of the Bering Sea life at risk of extinction. Humans started climate change and can help stop it.

Help the blue whale and sea life;

Here are 5 things anyone can do:

1. Turn off a light when finished using it. 2. Take some cold showers instead of always hot showers. 3. Recycle and reuse. 4. Don’t put an A.C. on when no one is in the room. 5. Try to carpool or walk.