Friday, 4 August 2023

Babies and Bath Water?

The Copernicus Climate Modelling Service are reporting an average world ocean surface temperature of 20.96 degrees Centigrade. This is the highest average surface water temperature humans have ever recorded. This record figure might never have been reached without the 'help' of the El Nino phenomenon. It's largely, however, a consequence of anthropogenic 'greenhouse gas' emissions (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/04/oceans-hit-highest-ever-recorded-temperature). Increasing the temperature of seawater, reduces its capacity to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The oceans normally store around 90% of this 'greenhouse gas'. The resulting ocean 'hot tub' also absorbs much less oxygen. This is greatly to the detriment of marine organisms, who die or are forced to migrate. Marine food webs will collapse. There's be fewer fish and other food items in the sea. These temperature changes will also, of course, increase the melting of polar ice. They, perhaps, might even disrupt long-established sea currents. Catastrophic climate change is already here? Climate scientists are left wondering just how high the ocean surface temperatures will go this year.

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Birder's Bonus 241

Noted a Curlew ( Numenius arquata ) on the Loughor estuary at Bynea.