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Oct 1st, 2020 by Admin

Climate Change News: New Method of Measuring Ocean Warming

Climate change is becoming the single biggest threat for all lives on Earth. We are continuously faced with worrying climate change news everyday. The increase in greenhouse gas emissions, combined with the trapped energy within the Earth’s atmosphere, is proving to be quite a problem for everyone.

This trapped energy is the main cause of global warming and has a major impact on the climate. The seas absorb around 90% of this trapped energy from the atmosphere. So, if we really want to measure global warming, then we have to start by understanding seas’ warming.

In recent climate change news, scientists have come with a new way of measuring ocean warming. They do it using sound waves and undersea earthquakes.

Climate Change News – How Ocean Warming Is Measured?

ocean warming

This research works on the basic principle that sound travels faster in warmer water. As the sea absorbs more trapped energy from the atmosphere, it gets heated up. When the speed of the sound waves in the sea increases than before, then it’s a clear indicator of ocean warming.

This measure of ocean warming is also instrumental for scientists to monitor and record global warming and climate change.
This idea of using sound waves in seawater was first proposed in the late 1970s. But there was a possibility of affecting the marine animals due to the sound waves. Because of this reason, the idea was put to a stop.

Recently, scientists have come up with a new idea of creating natural sound waves of the same power as the underwater earthquakes. This could ensure that marine animals aren’t impacted.

The scientists analyzed the tremors in the Indian Ocean between 2004 and 2016 and came up with almost the same kind of intensity and power of sound waves. They measured the time taken by the waves to travel from Indonesia to a monitoring station on the island of Diego Garcia.

Due to the temperature change in the ocean, there was a slight difference in travel time. This difference was by a few tenths of a second. With this change in time, the scientists were able to accurately measure the changes in the temperature of the Indian Ocean.

However, this is only the start. The research was conducted in a specific region in the Indian Ocean at a specific decade. The same method can be applied to different areas of the sea. Using this method, scientists can evaluate the change in the seas’ temperature due to global warming.

Need for Climate Change Action

arctic melting

With research going on at a full pace on one hand and global warming increase on the other, there is no way but to take immediate action to stop this crisis.

Due to the absorption of trapped energy into the seas, there’s a distinct change in various factors.

1. The Health of the Marine Life

Carbon dioxide is one of the top greenhouse gases that’s getting trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere. As this gets absorbed by the sea, the increase in the percentage of carbon dioxide affects the health of marine life like king crab, sea snails, pollock, etc. Many of such marine lives are being pushed into mass extinction now.

2. Melting of Antarctic Ice

We all have heard about the Antarctic ice melting but haven’t given enough attention to it. But the problem is this melting ice will increase the seawater level by 16 feet, which could threaten the homes and lives of millions of people living on the coast worldwide. Scientists believe that we have reached a point where there’s no way to stop the ice from melting and this could mean disaster for countries everywhere.

3. Melting Permafrost in the Arctic

This issue has been one of the underrated effects of global warming. Due to the increase in the temperature, Permafrost (the icy layer on top of plants) in the Arctic is beginning to melt. This permafrost has actually preserved billions of tons of carbon dioxide over the years. As the permafrost melts, the plant under it decomposes and releases carbon dioxide and methane.

This further increases the temperature of the atmosphere leading to more melting of permafrost and more release of greenhouse gases. This can continue as a chain effect and could lead to a high increase in greenhouse gases.

If the current trajectory continues, by 2100, 70% of the permafrost would be melted, and the carbon percentage in the atmosphere would significantly increase.

Conclusion

These are just a few, on-the-top effects of climate change and ocean warming. With global warming nearing a point after which it’s irreversible, we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to it. From the lives of insects to multinational organizations and developed countries, climate change will change everyone’s lives for the worse.

About Plastic Collectors – At Plastic Collectors, we aim to curb this climate change by eliminating one issue that’s been a prime contributor to global warming – plastics. We are tackling the issue of plastic waste by providing employment to the poor. If you want to join us, please reach out to us.

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