good research questions about the ocean

91 Ocean Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on ocean, 👍 good ocean research topics & essay examples, 🎓 most interesting ocean research titles, 💡 simple ocean essay ideas, ❓ questions about the ocean.

• Climate Change Impacts on Oceans
• Five Oceans of the Earth
• Ocean Research vs. Outer Space Exploration
• The Problem of Ocean Pollution Today
• Blue Ocean Strategy and Framework
• Hong Kong Ocean Park’s Resource-Based Management
• How El Niño Affects Ocean Circulation and How Climate Is Impacted
• Comparative History of the Red Sea Trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean Slave Trades In the period that spanned the four last decades of the 15th century, the merchants took slaves from East Africa, North Africa, and some parts of Europe, such as South Italy.
• Environmental Issues: Plastics in the Ocean The circular economy encourages recycling and reuse and this approach could be used effectively to mitigate the problem of plastic marine pollution in the long term.
• Description of the Pacific Ocean The paper states that the Pacific Ocean is tranquil, yet it forms one of the world’s largest homes and assists in regulating the global climate.
• How Human Activities Pollute Oceans It is essential to protect the ocean because anything that human beings throw into the ocean will make its way back to affect those responsible for polluting it.
• West Indian Ocean Coelacanth (Latimeria Chalumnae) Latimeria Chalumnae is an exception – a living fossil and a fish that is closer to tetrapods, including humans, rather than to the ray-finned fish, from an evolutionary standpoint.
• The WWF’s Environmental Advertisement on Marine and Ocean Pollution Visual image can also make a convincing point, and this is particularly applicable to social and environmental advertising.
• International Logistics: Ocean Transportation The rapidly growing global economy and the development of interstate supply chains, which is especially relevant for transnational companies.
• Plastic Crises in the Ocean and Effects on Marine Ecosystems The accumulation of plastic waste in the oceans causes physical damage to marine species and habitats, leading to the spread of invasive species and diseases.
• Impact of Human Behavior on Ocean and Ocean Acidification The paper states that the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has been increasing over the years due to human behavior and actions.
• The Ocean Clean Up Company’s Trial in Guatemala Ocean Clean Up has done an excellent job of creating the first scalable solution to efficiently intercept plastic in rivers before it reaches the oceans.
• Cyclone Asani in the North Indian Ocean Area Asani is the first cyclone to develop in the North Indian Ocean area of the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea in 2022.
• The Consequences of the Ocean Acidification The paper aims to explore the phenomena of ocean acidification and define human-caused threats to the health of the world ocean and the corresponding consequences.
• Trans-ocean Transportation: Environmental Study The ocean has always been an inseparable part of human existence. It serves as a source of food and a transportation network, linking all continents.
• Ocean Transport Capitalizing Interest Costs Ocean transport plans to convert its container ship to passenger-container ship via borrowing of funds. The intended use of the modified ship is not intended to be sold.
• Geologic Time and the World Ocean: Diving a Bit Deeper Studying the history of the Earth’s climate means analyzing the archaeological traces that the previous eras have left; and nowhere is the search for these traces is as efficient as it is in the ocean.
• Iron Seeding Oceans: Global Warming Solution The principle behind iron seeding is the reduction of carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. One of the major raw materials needed in photosynthesis is carbon dioxide.
• What Lurks in the Depth of the Ocean? A range of technological advances and solutions for economic issues pose a tangible threat to environment, and oceans are by far the most vulnerable element of the latter.
• Will California Really Fall into the Ocean? The paper discusses if it is possible that California fall into the ocean due to the influence of some forces in the near future.
• Oceans and Their Systems An ocean gyre can be defined as a system of ocean currents, which exist in a constant rotating movement. The cause of the ocean gyre is wind movements.
• Silk Road and Indian Ocean Trade
• Shark Hunting: The Loss of an Apex Predator and the Corruption of the Ocean Ecosystem
• Australi the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean
• Global Warming and Its Effects on the Ocean
• Coral the Most Important Part of Ocean Ecosystem
• Climate Change and Ocean Temperature
• Jersey Shore Ocean Pollution
• How Does Ocean Pollution Impact Earth?
• Economic, Technological, and Social Aspects of Ocean
• How Dangerous the Ocean Can Be?
• Human Overpopulation, Ocean Acidification, and Pollution
• Ocean Floor’s Hydrothermal Vents
• Ocean Dumping & Marine Pollution
• Microbial Respiration, the Engine of Ocean Deoxygenation
• Novel Ocean Energy Permanent Magnet Linear Generator Buoy
• Objects Deep Beneath the Surface of the Ocean Are
• Horizontal and Vertical Ocean Currents
• Cruising Across the Indian Ocean
• Ocean Acidification May Change How Sharks Behave
• 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake & Sanaysay
• Acidification and the Ocean’s Changing Climate
• Sahara and the Indian Ocean
• Ocean Carbon Sinks and International Climate Policy
• Ocean Ecosystem-Based Management Mandates and Implementation in the North Atlantic
• Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami
• High-Frequency Ocean Carbon Chemistry Observation
• Earths Dynamic Ocean and Atmosphere
• Ocean Acidification: Negative Impacts on Shellfish
• Ocean Global Warming Impacts on the South America Climate
• Future Vision for Autonomous Ocean Observations
• The Pacific Ocean and Land Bridge Theory
• Cuttlefish and Squid Jets of the Ocean
• Porter’s Five Forces Model Versus a Blue Ocean Strategy
• Ocean Tidal Power: Obtaining Electricity From Low and High Tides
• National Science Foundation Funds Is Called Ocean
• Coral Reef Ecosystems Under Climate Change and Ocean Acidification
• Bacterial Biogeography Across the Amazon River-Ocean Continuum
• Human Impact Upon the Environment: Ocean Pollution and Marine Life
• Deep Water Ocean North Atlantic
• Multivariate Modeling and Analysis of Regional Ocean Freight Rates
• Can Nano Technology Help Clean Up Oil Spills in the Ocean and Seas?
• How Does Carbon Dioxide Affect the Levels of the Ocean?
• Where Did the Water of the Ocean Come From?
• Should the Government Regulate Ocean Pollution?
• How Does the Overfishing of Sharks Affect Ocean Ecosystems?
• Where Does the Responsibility of Conserving Ocean Life Lie?
• How Does the Temperature of Ocean Water Vary?
• Why Is Productivity Higher in Some Areas of the Ocean?
• What Causes the Major Types of Ocean Currents?
• How Does Water’s High Latent Heat Influence the Ocean?
• Where Are the Youngest Rocks in the Ocean Crust?
• Can Humans Survive Without the Ocean?
• What Drives the Vertical Movement of Ocean Water?
• How Do the Colonists Change the World of the Atlantic Ocean?
• Why Did People Think an Ocean Is Deepest at Its Center?
• Can a Human Swim to the Bottom of the Ocean?
• What’s Causing Ocean Acidification?
• How Do the Ocean and Plants Affect the Removal of Carbon in Our Atmosphere?
• Where Are the Major Warm and Cool Ocean Currents Located?
• Why Is Exploring the Ocean Mankind’s Next Giant Leap?
• How Does Ocean Acidification Affect the Arctic Ocean?
• Why Should Ocean Exploration Be Funded at the Same Rate as Space Exploration?
• Will the Atlantic Ocean Ever Be Bigger Than the Pacific Ocean?
• How Cold Is the Bottom of the Ocean?
• Why Are There Deep Grooves in the Floor of Some of the Ocean Basins?

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These essay examples and topics on Ocean were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on January 8, 2024 .

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71 Research Questions

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At the 2nd International Marine Conservation Congress in 2011, the SCB Marine Section developed a list of 71 research questions critical to the advancement of marine conservation. We encourage IMCC5 proposals and abstracts that address one or more of these questions.

Table 1 . Full list of 71 questions

*These “71 important questions for the conservation of marine biodiversity” are part of a paper accepted for publication in SCB’s journal Conservation Biology (authored by Parsons, E.C.M., Favaro, B., Draheim, M., McCarthy, J.B., Aguirre, A.A., Bauer, A.L., Blight, L.K., Cigliano, J.A., Coleman, M.A., Côté, I.M., Fletcher, S., Foley, M.M., Jefferson, R., Jones, M.C., Kelaher, B.P., Lundquist, C.J., Nelson, A., Patterson, K., Walsh, L., Wright, A.J. and Sutherland, W.J.) The open-access paper can be viewed at:  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.12303/abstract

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Graduate School of Oceanography

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Big Questions to Drive Oceanography

The National Science Foundation’s RCRV project considered future ocean-science requirements for the U.S East Coast, West Coast, and Gulf of Mexico. What questions set the agenda for oceanographic researchers in the coming decades? In a 2015 report, the National Academies of Science published broad and fundamental questions about the nation’s coastal waters.

• What are the rates, mechanisms, impacts, and geographic variability of sea level change?
• How are the coastal and estuarine ocean and their ecosystems influenced by the global hydrologic cycle, land use, and upwelling from the deep ocean?
• How have ocean biogeochemical and physical processes contributed to today’s climate and its variability, and how will this system change over the next century?
• What is the role of biodiversity in the resilience of marine ecosystems and how will it be affected by natural and anthropogenic changes?
• How different will marine food webs be at mid-century? In the next 100 years?
• What are the processes that control the formation and evolution of ocean basins?
• How can risk be better characterized and the ability to forecast geohazards like mega-earthquakes, tsunamis, undersea landslides, and volcanic eruptions be improved?
• What is the geophysical, chemical, and biological character of the subseafloor environment and how does it affect global elemental cycles and understanding of the origin and evolution of life?

These questions help mark the boundary between what is known and what must be discovered, in 2025 and beyond. They also suggest what tools oceanographers will need to develop the answers.

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Ocean research report: emerging topics and opportunities

Ross Potter

Senior Data Scientist

A new Global Research Report from the Institute for Scientific Information identifies the trends, challenges and opportunities in ocean science. Our ocean research report uncovers emerging topics and highlights the growing body of research in this area, particularly around sustainability and topics including microplastics in the ocean.

The ocean can be considered the best ally in fighting climate change, and as sweltering temperatures hit much of the northern hemisphere this summer, the importance of ocean research and observations cannot be overstated.

Ocean acidification, marine pollution and overfishing have caused tremendous damage to Earth’s oceans and the life within them. Therefore, the health and sustainability of our oceans remain a particular challenge for researchers worldwide. This is evident in the sheer volume of ocean research being produced year on year: we found that ocean science research articles have increased threefold between 2000 and 2020.

We analyzed this growing body of research using Web of Science ™ data and InCites Benchmarking and Analytics ™ Citation Topics (an article-level classification), with special attention to the five main ocean basins (Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and Southern). We collected nearly three-quarters of a million ocean-science-related documents and, separately, identified just over 100,000 with a specific ocean basin focus.

Keep reading for an overview of our ocean research report findings or download our full report .

Ocean research trends

Our report surfaced some fascinating trends across the body of ocean science research in recent decades:

• In our ocean science document set, the two most prominent Web of Science subject categories were Marine Freshwater Biology and Geosciences, Multidisciplinary (each constituting 16% each of the document set).
• For our smaller selection of papers concerning ocean basins, at the Citation Topic Macro (high) level, the domains of Earth Sciences and Agricultural, Environment and Ecology dominate, together accounting for more than 90% of research within any ocean (with a roughly even share between the two in most oceans).
• At the Meso (medium) Topic level, the largest topic for all oceans is Marine Biology (27% in the Atlantic and up to 42% in the Southern Ocean), followed by Oceanography, Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (14% in the Atlantic to 32% in the Southern Ocean).
• Other major Meso Topic themes include Geology, Geochemistry and Geophysics (6 to 11%), Archaeology (4 to 8%), and Zoology and Animal Ecology (3 to 6%).
• Research within each ocean basin has increased about three times over the past 20 years, except the Pacific where research has increased four times.
• The Atlantic continues to be the ocean with the greatest research focus (in 2020 there were around 3,000 papers published), though Pacific research is catching up quickly.
• The polar oceans (Arctic and Southern) are the least studied (less than 500 papers published for each in 2020). This may be due to their greater inaccessibility; however, they may also be more affected by climate changes.

The U.S. dominance of ocean basin research in the early 21st century has now disappeared, mainly due to a rapid rise in output from Mainland China (Figure 1), particularly focusing on the Pacific Ocean. Ocean research trends also show that other G7 member states’ research shares have also declined due to Chinese growth. Some countries clearly focus their efforts on a single ocean: Russia accounts for about 30% of research in the Arctic Ocean; India about 27% in the Indian Ocean; and Mainland China about 27% in the Pacific. At the institutional level, research is mainly led by national academies such as the Russian and Chinese, or research institutes such as the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) or the British Antarctic Survey. This illustrates the highly specialized nature of ocean science and likely reflects its infrastructure-reliant nature.

Figure 1. The percentage of ocean basin papers for the ten biggest ocean research-producing countries from 2000 to 2020.

Sustainable oceans

The United Nations Ocean Conference was recently held in Lisbon, Portugal to mobilize action and address threats to the ocean. The conference dealt with themes including governance, the blue economy, sustainable oceans, protection and management, fisheries and pollution.

Using word term searches related to each theme, an analysis on paper titles within our ocean basin dataset showed that “protection and management” was the theme with the most papers, containing contributions from over 100 countries. The theme with the fewest papers was the blue economy. This illustrates that the former is already a well-established area of concern and research, while the latter is only just emerging as a field (in this analysis the first blue economy papers appeared in 2018). The dominant Citation level Topics were Marine Biology, accounting for more than one third of papers in any theme, and Fisheries. These topics demonstrate the importance of sustainable oceans to be able to protect, manage and develop.

The Ocean Conference was designed to support the implementation of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Life below water . SDG 14 has 10 targets with the overarching goal to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.” Defined subgoals include “[preventing] and significantly [reducing] marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution by 2025” and “[increasing] the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism by 2030.”

Microplastics in the ocean a growing concern

Microplastics are extremely small pieces of plastic debris found in the environment as a result of the disposal and breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste. Two differing analyses drawing on Citation Topics data illustrate the astonishing growth of microplastics research. The number of items within the Microplastics topic increased from 289 in 2015, to 887 in 2018, and to over 2,000 in 2020. Similar trends in output are found regarding research focusing on the ocean basins. The upsurge in output is reminiscent of the excitement and activity of high-temperature superconductivity in the late 1980s, or CRISPR (i.e., gene editing) during the last decade. While the topic of microplastics in the ocean has long been studied, the introduction of SDGs in 2015 as well funding in support of these may have prioritized and accelerated research in this area.

Growth in other Citation Topics that we observed, such as Climate Change, may also be associated with the issuance and targets of SDGs. Climate change research is inherently linked to ocean science through the interactions between the ocean and atmosphere. The Climate Change topic has received increasing attention since 2000 and, again, particularly since 2015, coinciding with the SDGs. When focusing on ocean basins, Arctic Ocean papers have a greater relative share of climate change papers, demonstrating the precariousness of environments in that region. For a more in-depth and global perspective on climate change, including topical and collaboration analysis, please read our recent ISI Insights paper .

Ocean research opportunities

Our ocean basin analysis illustrates the globally connected research networks within ocean science. This includes the large, research-intensive countries (such as the United States) collaborating with island nations and territories at the literal forefront of ocean science (e.g., New Caledonia, Bermuda). However, sub-Saharan African contributions, apart from those of South Africa, in the global network are minimal despite the continent’s extensive coastline. External partnerships are likely required to build or operate the necessary infrastructure for ocean research opportunities within sub-Saharan Africa. Desires to achieve the SDGs may drive such partnerships.

Looking ahead

The global importance of ocean science is undeniable. This significance is recognized by United Nations programs such as the Sustainable Development Goals (particularly Goal 14: Life below water) and the 2022 Ocean Conference. Research must rise to meet the challenges presented by issues such as microplastics pollution and climate change. Only with concerted, global commitment will the UN goals for the future – oceans that are clean, resilient and sustainable – stand a chance of accomplishment.

Interested in learning more about ocean research and sustainability concerns? Read our Global Research Report, here .

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Ocean sciences articles from across Nature Portfolio

Ocean sciences span the physics, chemistry, and biology of marine systems. The field encompasses ocean circulation, energy dissipation, marine biology, ecology, biogeochemical cycles, water mass formation and movement, ocean temperature and salinity, and marine carbon and carbonate chemistry.

Ecological role of offshore structures

Oil and gas installations, offshore windfarms and other artificial constructions may enhance marine ecosystems and have been proposed to help meet conservation targets. A study synthesizes existing literature to reveal global patterns in their ecological effectiveness.

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• Daniel O. B. Jones

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On the evidence of helico-spiralling recirculation within coherent cores of eddies using Lagrangian approach

• Rahul Deogharia
• Hitesh Gupta
• Abhijit Shee

Global mapping and evolution of persistent fronts in Large Marine Ecosystems over the past 40 years

A global digital atlas of persistent fronts in Large Marine Ecosystems reveals a rapid increase in subtropical and polar regions, and stable conditions or a slight decrease in tropical regions, a pattern not captured by climate projections and ocean models.

• Qinwang Xing

Electrochemical ocean iron fertilization and alkalinity enhancement approach toward CO 2 sequestration

• Amir Taqieddin
• Stephanie Sarrouf
• Akram N. Alshawabkeh

Long-read powered viral metagenomics in the oligotrophic Sargasso Sea

The Sargasso Sea is a natural laboratory for understanding future conditions of warmer oceans and associated nutrient limitation. Here, the authors combined short- and long-read sequencing to survey Sargasso Sea viral communities.

• Joanna Warwick-Dugdale
• Funing Tian
• Ben Temperton

Cryptic diversity in southern African kelp

• Pedro Madeira
• Maggie M. Reddy
• Ester A. Serrão

Deep seafloor hydrothermal vent communities buried by volcanic ash from the 2022 Hunga eruption

Submersible observations find that chemosymbiotic foundation fauna around hydrothermal vents near the 2022 Hunga eruption were decimated by rapid ash deposition, while populations of heterotrophs were more resilient.

• Roxanne A. Beinart
• Shawn M. Arellano
• Craig M. Young

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Advancing ocean equity at the nexus of development, climate and conservation policy

Achieving inclusive and sustainable ocean economies, long-term climate resilience and effective biodiversity conservation requires urgent and strategic actions from local to global scales. We discuss fundamental changes that are needed to allow equitable policy across these three domains.

• Joachim Claudet
• Jessica Blythe
• Josheena Naggea

The search for Europan life

Excited by the prospect of future missions to the Jupiter system, Bruce Gibb explores the chemistry of Jupiter’s moons and wonders whether there could be life on Europa.

• Bruce C. Gibb

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is ‘transforming’ because of repeated coral bleaching

The coral reef is experiencing its worst mass bleaching event on record — and warming waters brought on by climate change are to blame.

• Bianca Nogrady

Shining light on dinoflagellate photosystem I

Dinoflagellates are ecologically important and essential to corals and other cnidarians as phytosymbionts, but their photosystems had been underexplored. Recently, photosystem I (PSI) of dinoflagellate Symbiodinium sp. was structurally characterized using cryo-Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM). These analyses revealed a distinct organization of the PSI supercomplex, including two previously unidentified subunits, PsaT and PsaU, and shed light on interactions between light harvesting antenna proteins and the PSI core. These results have implications with respect to the evolution of dinoflagellates and their association with cnidarians.

• Shuaishuai Wu
• Arthur R. Grossman

Ocean heat content in 2023

In 2023, global full-depth ocean heat content (OHC) reached a record increase of 464 ± 55 ZJ since 1960, with strong heat gain observed in the Southern and Atlantic Oceans. OHC was 16 ± 10 ZJ higher than in 2022, continuing the long-term increasing trend that started in 1960.

• Lijing Cheng
• Karina von Schuckmann

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Oceanography Research Paper Topics

Oceanography, the science of oceans and seas, includes marine environments, coastal zone management, fisher economics, and marine pollution (Smith, 2015). By its nature, the study of these oceanic systems increases the human understanding of marine pollution and how it is influencing, and might influence in the future, life on the planet (Smith, 2015). Though it might seem to reflect a narrow focus at a cursory glance, the implications of oceanography are quite complex and tie in to all facets of biology and the environment, as well as issues like public policy, housing, and community planning. Climate change, ocean energy cultivation, and global warming, are also topics of contemporary concern related to oceanography.

Due to changes, innovation and the expansion of human knowledge, the field of oceanography is rapidly advancing (Smith, 2015). As a result, much of the research necessary for modern application is based on recent scholarship.

The professional staff at PowerPapers.com understands the rapidly advancing knowledge base surrounding oceanography as well as its current and potential future applications. PowerPapers.com staff members are equally comfortable approaching oceanography topics from a pure scientific perspective as they are from an economic context. From academic projects ranging from single page cursory explorations to complete graduate studies, PowerPapers.com can accommodate the preferences of the student and the expectations of the instructor simultaneously. For your oceanography research paper topic needs, PowerPapers.com’s staff can be reached by email for placing an order through our secure server or for questions regarding potential topics.

Interesting Oceanography Research Paper Topics

Beginning the selection of an oceanography research paper topic necessitates that the student formulate a lens of inquiry. For example, a chemistry student may find it more comfortable and better connected to their major to explore salinity processes of a specific body of water rather than housing policy development in an ocean front city. Conversely, a history major may choose to examine the impact of naval power on the history of warfare. More purely oceanographic approaches may favor specific life cycles of a given species, bioluminescence in deep sea creatures, or water circulation patterns. Still beyond this, a political science student could choose to look at policy development and oceanic energy resource potential. Regardless of one’s preference and academic background, there is a strong likelihood that there is one or multiple areas of oceanography research that would be applicable. Once a perspective is established, suitable theses and selection of appropriate literature on the subject can commence. The nature of oceanography necessitates even more close attention to year of publication and peer reviewed status of articles. More recent published research is superior for properly framing oceanography inquiry and establishing viable applications. A research student on environment impact in 1999 would likely be missing key elements that would be prominently features in a research study on the same subject published in 2013.

Below is a list of topics that would fall within scopes of inquiry related to oceanography. The staff at PowerPapers.com can complete full research projects on any of these expounded topics and the list could also be used by students as an idea generator for their own unique research paper topic.

• The environmental impact of mass oil spills: The case of the Gulf oil spill and the Exxon Valdez
• Ecosystems and global warming
• Human and sea predator interaction
• Sharks in popular culture
• Marine biotechnology developments in the 21st century
• Colonizing the ocean floor
• The Ice Age and oceanic development
• Ocean amphibian creatures
• A brief history of oceanography
• Pollution and oceanic impact
• Undersea volcanic activity
• Deep sea sedimentation
• Ocean Reefs and biodiversity
• Life history/cycles of jellyfish
• The Long Island Sound: A history of commercial fishing
• Sea turtles: A case study
• Dissolved organic matter in the ocean
• Marine chemistry
• The impact of ocean exploration on human history
• Deep sea exploration: Challenges and implications
• Operational oceanography
• Ocean erosion: Implications
• The ocean’s food web: Changing dynamics
• Vernal blooming of phytoplankton
• Ocean exploration and thematic in American Colonial literature
• Acidification of the ocean: Emerging thematic
• Water circulation patterns in fjords
• Oxygen isotopes in the shells of marine organisms
• Teaching oceanography in elementary schools
• Radioactive pollution in the Arctic Ocean
• Bioluminescence and sea creatures
• Il Nino and fish populations off Chile
• The nature of near inertial oscillations
• Hydrothermal vents
• Vertical migration of ocean organisms
• Ocean tides
• Deep sea drilling: Implications and considerations
• Comparison: Atlantic and Pacific oceans
• The Chesapeake Bay and environmental impact of human activity
• The Earth’s oceans compared to other planets
• Fisheries and biodiversity
• Salinity processes in the Indian ocean
• Undersea marine vessels
• The influence of naval power on modern warfare
• Alternative energy: Tidal power

Click for more great research paper topics listed by discipline .

Smith, G.W. (2015). Oceanography: Open access. E-Science. Retrieved from http://www.esciencecentral.org/journals/oceanography.php

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74 Ocean Pollution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best ocean pollution topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on ocean pollution, 📌 simple & easy ocean pollution essay titles, ❓ research questions about ocean pollution.

• Ocean Pollution and the Fishing Industry In essence, the activities of over six billion people in the world are threatening the survival and quality of water found in the oceans, lakes and other inland water catchment areas.
• The World Oceans Pollution and Overfishing Human beings have taken a lot of time to realize the need for ocean conservation to the extent that the ocean has succumbed to ecological challenges that have affected their lives in a variety of […]
• Concerns of Ocean Ecosystem Pollution The range of adverse outcomes for ocean ecosystems can be discussed in volumes; however, the current discussion will focus on trash in the ocean waters, acidification, and the disruption of the marine life cycles.
• The Problem of Ocean Pollution in Modern World Wastes such as toxic matter, plastics, and human wastes are some of the major sources of pollution in the ocean. Many people consume fish as food; when marine life is affected by toxic substance in […]
• Plastic Ocean Pollution on Ocean Life in U.S. Ocean plastic pollution has had a great impact on a minimum of two hundred and sixty seven species across the world and these include forty three percent of all of the sea mammal species, eighty […]
• How Ocean Pollution Impacts Earth
• Ocean Pollution: Causes, Effects, and Prevention
• Human Impact Upon the Environment: Ocean Pollution and Marine Life
• Ocean Pollution and Other Human Environmental Impacts
• How to Reduce Plastic and Other Ocean Pollution
• Ocean Pollution and Its Effects on the Ocean
• The Causes of Ocean Pollution and the Need for Humans to Save Life
• Ocean Pollution and Its Impact on Coral Reefs
• Plastic Pollution in the Ocean
• Should the Government Regulate Ocean Pollution?
• An Introduction to the Issue of Ocean Pollution in the Third World
• Plastic Pollution in Tho Ocean: Facts and Information
• Ocean Pollution: Marine Pollution Facts and Information
• Ocean Pollution for the Most Wildlife
• The Causes of Ocean Pollution and The Need for Humans to Save Marine Life
• The Historical & Current Characteristics of Western Ireland Coastlines & Galway Bay
• An Overview of the Ocean Waters and Increasing Ocean Pollution
• A Discussion About the Ocean Pollution and Human Wastes
• Ocean Pollution and a “Dead Zone”
• A History of the Ocean Pollution and the Effects of It
• An Overview of the Methods for Cleaning the Ocean Pollution
• A Study of Plastic Ocean Pollution in the Pacific Ocean
• Life Below Water: Conserve and Sustainably Use The Ocean
• The Global Issue of Ocean Pollution and Its Solutions
• Ocean Pollution and the Effects of It
• Plastic Pollution and its Effect on the Thermal Capacity of Seawater
• Causes and Effects of Ocean Pollution
• Environmental Impact on Ocean Pollution
• The Effects of Ocean Pollution on the Environment
• Plastic Pollution and Noise Pollution in Oceans
• Ocean Dumping of Unpurified Wastewater
• Oil Spills Is a Huge Source of Ocean Pollution
• The Effects of Ocean Pollution on the Marine Ecosystem and Animals
• The Problem of The Great Pacific Patch
• Ocean Pollution: Effects on Human Health and Commerce
• Ocean Conservancy and Their Contribution to Whale Protection
• Urban Runoff Is the Primary Source of Ocean Pollution
• Emerging Technologies to Combat Ocean Pollution
• The Harmful Effects of an Ocean Pollution on Human Health
• Sustainability of American Lifestyle With Ocean Pollution
• What Efforts Is Ocean Cleanup Making to Clean up Ocean Plastic and Reduce Pollution?
• How Does Ocean Pollution Affect Coral Reefs?
• What Is the Connection Between Drinking Water Scarcity and Ocean Pollution?
• Is Globalization One of the Causes of Ocean Pollution?
• What Are the Main Causes of Ocean Pollution Around the World?
• How Does Human Overpopulation Affect Ocean Pollution?
• What Is the Government Doing About Ocean Pollution?
• Why Do People in Coastal Fishing Communities and Small Island Nations Suffer the Most from Ocean Pollution?
• Should World Powers Focus on Eradicating Ocean Pollution?
• What Are Some Ways to Help Reduce Ocean Pollution?
• How Can Countries Contribute to Reducing Ocean Pollution in the Economy?
• What Is the Most Dangerous in Ocean Pollution?
• Is There a Connection Between Ocean Pollution and Global Warming?
• What Are the Disadvantages of Ocean Pollution for the National Recreational Fishing Survey (NRFS)?
• How Does Ocean Pollution Affect Humans and Animals?
• What Are Voluntary Incentives to Reduce Ocean Water Pollution?
• Is Human Activity the Main Cause of Ocean Pollution?
• What Is the Link Between Ocean Pollution and Climate Change?
• How Does Ocean Pollution Affect the Economy?
• What Are the Main Causes of Ocean Pollution?
• Are Humans or Animals Most Affected by Ocean Pollution?
• What Are the Effects of Ocean Pollution on Human Health?
• Why Is Microplastic Such a Big Problem in Ocean Pollution?
• How Do Humans Affect the Environment, Ocean Pollution, and Marine Life?
• Is There Any Chance That Ocean Pollution Will Stop?
• What Is the Impact of Pesticide Use on Ocean Pollution and Health Effects?
• How Does Ocean Pollution Affect the Climate?
• What Are the Main Causes and Effects of Ocean Pollution?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, October 26). 74 Ocean Pollution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/ocean-pollution-essay-topics/

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IvyPanda . (2023) '74 Ocean Pollution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples'. 26 October.

IvyPanda . 2023. "74 Ocean Pollution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." October 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/ocean-pollution-essay-topics/.

1. IvyPanda . "74 Ocean Pollution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." October 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/ocean-pollution-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "74 Ocean Pollution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." October 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/ocean-pollution-essay-topics/.

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Research Topics

Scripps Oceanography researchers work in a variety of fields in biology, earth science, and oceans and atmospheric science. Select any of the topics below for a sampling of researchers in that field, labs and centers associated with the topic, and news stories about the work. 

• Biological Impacts of Climate Change
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• Biogeochemistry and Greenhouse Gases
• Climate Change and Health
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• Coastal Oceanography
• Environmental Justice
• Global Hydrography and Circulation
• Ice in the Climate System
• Internal Waves and Ocean Mixing
• Land Surface Hydrology
• Modeling and State Estimation of the Oceans, Atmosphere, and Climate
• Nearshore and Surf Zone Processes
• Nonlinear and Surface Waves
• Ocean Acidification
• Ocean Acoustics
• Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions
• Ocean Instrumentation and Technology
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• Past Climate Change
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71 Questions: A Guide for Marine Conservation

By James Keegan, RJD Intern

The ocean remains an immense resource for humanity, providing food, economic activity, and cultural roots for many. Although these resources are valuable, it is difficult to effectively protect them because our knowledge of marine ecosystems is lacking. To correct this insufficient understanding of the marine environment, Parsons et al. 2014 conducted two workshops in order to establish a list of important questions that would help direct conservation research.  If conservationists can answer these questions, the community’s ability to conserve and mange the world’s marine resources would substantially improve. With the contributions from participants in the fields of science, conservation, industry, and government, Parsons et al. 2014 identified 71 key questions for the preservation of the marine environment. They then grouped these questions into 8 categories, each associated with an aspect of marine conservation: fisheries, climate change, other anthropogenic (human caused) threats, ecosystems, marine citizenship, policy, societal and cultural considerations, and scientific enterprise. Using these questions as guidelines, funders and researchers can develop programs that can greatly benefit marine conservation.

Because oceans are vast, and their environments difficult to access, marine research is expensive and difficult to undertake. Expensive technologies necessary for accessing marine environments, like submersibles, raise costs beyond those typically incurred by terrestrial, or land-based, studies. Moreover, marine conservation research receives funding at a much lower rate than terrestrial conservation. In order to combat these issues, Parsons et al. 2014 sought out to identify a set of questions that, if answered, would contribute immensely to conserving marine ecosystems on a global scale, thus maximizing the returns of the research programs involved. By prioritizing the most important questions facing marine conservation, conservationists can more effectively protect the marine environment with the funding they receive.

A table showing example questions produced by Parsons et al. 2014 for each of the 8 categories.

In order to produce their list of key questions, Parsons et al. 2014 conducted a pair of workshops. In their first workshop, held during the second International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC), 17 participants with varying expertise reviewed an initial list of 631 questions. Parsons et al. 2014 solicited these initial questions from participants at IMCC, professional peer groups, and the Society for Conservation Biology. The 17 participants reduced the number of questions to 316, and Parsons et al. 2014 voted on these remaining questions in their second workshop, ultimately reducing the number to 71. Finally, they grouped these 71 questions into 8 categories: fisheries, climate change, other human produced threats, ecosystems, marine citizenship, policy, societal and cultural considerations, and scientific enterprise.

A flow chart summarizing the steps taken in the workshops. (Parsons et al. 2014)

Each of the 8 categories pose challenges to marine conservationists. Mass extraction of fish and other organisms stress marine ecosystems and can lead to overexploitation. Components of climate change, like warmer waters and ocean acidification, directly affect marine species and indirectly affect ecological interactions. Other human activities negatively impact marine ecosystems, like fertilizer runoff creating oxygen-depleted areas in the ocean, or global shipping routes introducing invasive species into new areas. Because conducting research in the marine environment can be difficult, marine ecosystem processes and population dynamics are poorly understood.  The behavior and lifestyle choices of individual citizen’s significantly impact the health of the marine environment, but the best methods for engaging the public and promoting marine conservation remain illusive. Marine conservation and resource use policy are challenging because marine policy encompasses both the lack of information on marine systems and complex governance issues. Moreover, marine conservation is closely tied with socioeconomic and cultural factors, requiring engagement in such areas with targeted research. Scientific culture itself needs reworking, in that data sharing, collaboration, and funding for fields like taxonomy need to improve. With so many issues facing marine conservation, the questions articulated by Parsons et al. 2014 will help focus the conservation effort.

Past ecological prioritization exercises underemphasized marine issues, so Parsons et al. 2014 highlighted the specific challenges facing marine conservation. Although these questions have not been answered completely, people can, and should, undertake reasonable conservation efforts regarding their subject matter. By serving as a guide for scientific research, these 71 questions, along with evidence-based, participatory, and transparent management, can lead us towards effective marine conservation.

References:

Parsons, E. C. M., Favaro, B., Aguirre, A. A., Bauer, A. L., Blight, L. K., Cigliano, J. A., Coleman, M. A., Côté, I. M., Draheim, M., Fletcher, S., Foley, M. M., Jefferson, R., Jones, M. C., Kelaher, B. P., Lundquist, C. J., McCarthy, J.-B., Nelson, A., Patterson, K., Walsh, L., Wright, A. J. and Sutherland, W. J. (2014), Seventy-One Important Questions for the Conservation of Marine Biodiversity. Conservation Biology , 28 : 1206–1214. doi: 10.1111/cobi.12303

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All About the Ocean

The ocean covers 70 percent of Earth's surface.

Biology, Earth Science, Oceanography, Geography, Physical Geography

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This article is also available in Spanish .

The ocean covers 70 percent of Earth 's surface. It contains about 1.35 billion cubic kilometers (324 million cubic miles) of water, which is about 97 percent of all the water on Earth. The ocean makes all life on Earth possible, and makes the planet appear blue when viewed from space. Earth is the only planet in our solar system that is definitely known to contain liquid water. Although the ocean is one continuous body of water, oceanographers have divided it into five principal areas: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans. The Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans merge into icy waters around Antarctica. Climate The ocean plays a vital role in climate and weather . The sun’s heat causes water to evaporate , adding moisture to the air. The oceans provide most of this evaporated water. The water vapor condenses to form clouds, which release their moisture as rain or other kinds of precipitation . All life on Earth depends on this process, called the water cycle . The atmosphere receives much of its heat from the ocean. As the sun warms the water, the ocean transfers heat to the atmosphere. In turn, the atmosphere distributes the heat around the globe. Because water absorbs and loses heat more slowly than land masses, the ocean helps balance global temperatures by absorbing heat in the summer and releasing it in the winter. Without the ocean to help regulate global temperatures, Earth’s climate would be bitterly cold. Ocean Formation After Earth began to form about 4.6 billion years ago, it gradually separated into layers of lighter and heavier rock. The lighter rock rose and formed Earth’s crust . The heavier rock sank and formed Earth’s core and mantle . The ocean’s water came from rocks inside the newly forming Earth. As the molten rocks cooled, they released water vapor and other gases. Eventually, the water vapor condensed and covered the crust with a primitive ocean. Today, hot gases from the Earth’s interior continue to produce new water at the bottom of the ocean. Ocean Floor Scientists began mapping the ocean floor in the 1920s. They used instruments called echo sounders , which measure water depths using sound waves . Echo sounders use sonar technology. Sonar is an acronym for SOund Navigation And Ranging. The sonar showed that the ocean floor has dramatic physical features, including huge mountains, deep canyons , steep cliffs , and wide plains . The ocean’s crust is a thin layer of volcanic rock called basalt . The ocean floor is divided into several different areas. The first is the continental shelf , the nearly flat, underwater extension of a continent. Continental shelves vary in width. They are usually wide along low-lying land, and narrow along mountainous coasts. A shelf is covered in sediment from the nearby continent. Some of the sediment is deposited by rivers and trapped by features such as natural dams. Most sediment comes from the last glacial period , or Ice Age, when the oceans receded and exposed the continental shelf. This sediment is called relict sediment . At the outer edge of the continental shelf, the land drops off sharply in what is called the continental slope . The slope descends almost to the bottom of the ocean. Then it tapers off into a gentler slope known as the continental rise. The continental rise descends to the deep ocean floor, which is called the abyssal plain . Abyssal plains are broad, flat areas that lie at depths of about 4,000 to 6,000 meters (13,123 to 19,680 feet). Abyssal plains cover 30 percent of the ocean floor and are the flattest feature on Earth. They are covered by fine-grained sediment like clay and silt. Pelagic sediments, the remains of small ocean organisms, also drift down from upper layers of the ocean. Scattered across abyssal plains are abyssal hills and underwater volcanic peaks called seamounts. Rising from the abyssal plains in each major ocean is a huge chain of mostly undersea mountains. Called the mid-ocean ridge , the chain circles Earth, stretching more than 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles). Much of the mid-ocean ridge is split by a deep central rift, or crack. Mid-ocean ridges mark the boundaries between tectonic plates . Molten rock from Earth’s interior wells up from the rift, building new seafloor in a process called seafloor spreading . A major portion of the ridge runs down the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and is known as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It was not directly seen or explored until 1973. Some areas of the ocean floor have deep, narrow depressions called ocean trenches . They are the deepest parts of the ocean. The deepest spot of all is the Challenger Deep , which lies in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean near the island of Guam. Its true depth is not known, but the most accurate measurements put the Challenger Deep at 11,000 meters (36,198 feet) below the ocean’s surface—that’s more than 2,000 meters (6,000 feet) taller than Mount Everest, Earth’s highest point. The pressure in the Challenger Deep is about eight tons per square inch.

Ocean Life Zones From the shoreline to the deepest seafloor, the ocean teems with life. The hundreds of thousands of marine species range from microscopic algae to the largest creature to have ever lived on Earth, the blue whale. The ocean has five major life zones, each with organisms uniquely adapted to their specific marine ecosystem . The epipelagic zone (1) is the sunlit upper layer of the ocean. It reaches from the surface to about 200 meters (660 feet) deep. The epipelagic zone is also known as the photic or euphotic zone, and can exist in lakes as well as the ocean. The sunlight in the epipelagic zone allows photosynthesis to occur. Photosynthesis is the process by which some organisms convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into energy and oxygen . In the ocean, photosynthesis takes place in plants and algae. Plants such as seagrass are similar to land plants—they have roots, stems, and leaves. Algae is a type of aquatic organism that can photosynthesize sunlight. Large algae such as kelp are called seaweed . Phytoplankton also live in the epipelagic zone. Phytoplankton are microscopic organisms that include plants, algae, and bacteria. They are only visible when billions of them form algal blooms , and appear as green or blue splotches in the ocean. Phytoplankton are a basis of the ocean food web . Through photosynthesis, phytoplankton are responsible for almost half the oxygen released into Earth’s atmosphere. Animals such as krill (a type of shrimp), fish, and microscopic organisms called zooplankton all eat phytoplankton. In turn, these animals are eaten by whales, bigger fish, ocean birds, and human beings. The next zone down, stretching to about 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) deep, is the mesopelagic zone (2). This zone is also known as the twilight zone because the light there is very dim. The lack of sunlight means there are no plants in the mesopelagic zone, but large fish and whales dive there to hunt prey . Fish in this zone are small and luminous . One of the most common is the lanternfish, which has organs along its side that produce light. Sometimes, animals from the mesopelagic zone (such as sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus ) and squid) dive into the bathypelagic zone (3), which reaches to about 4,000 meters (13,100 feet) deep. The bathypelagic zone is also known as the midnight zone because no light reaches it. Animals that live in the bathypelagic zone are small, but they often have huge mouths, sharp teeth, and expandable stomachs that let them eat any food that comes along. Most of this food comes from the remains of plants and animals drifting down from upper pelagic zones. Many bathypelagic animals do not have eyes because they are unneeded in the dark. Because the pressure is so great and it is so difficult to find nutrients , fish in the bathypelagic zone move slowly and have strong gills to extract oxygen from the water. The water at the bottom of the ocean, the abyssopelagic zone (4), is very salty and cold (2 degrees Celsius, or 35 degrees Fahrenheit). At depths up to 6,000 meters (19,700 feet), the pressure is very strong—11,000 pounds per square inch. This makes it impossible for most animals to live. Animals in this zone have bizarre adaptations to cope with their ecosystem. Many fish have jaws that look unhinged. The jaws allow them to drag their open mouth along the seafloor to find food, such as mussels, shrimp, and microscopic organisms. Many of the animals in this zone, including squid and fish, are bioluminescent. Bioluminescent organisms produce light through chemical reactions in their bodies. A type of angler fish, for example, has a glowing growth extending in front of its huge, toothy mouth. When smaller fish are attracted to the light, the angler fish simply snaps its jaws to eat its prey. The deepest ocean zone, found in trenches and canyons, is called the hadalpelagic zone (5). Few organisms live here. They include tiny isopods , a type of crustacean related to crabs and shrimp. Invertebrates such as sponges and sea cucumbers thrive in the abyssopelagic and hadalpelagic zones. Like many sea stars and jellyfish, these animals are almost entirely dependent on falling parts of dead or decaying plants and animals, called marine detritus . Not all bottom dwellers, however, depend on marine detritus. In 1977, oceanographers discovered a community of creatures on the ocean floor that feed on bacteria around openings called hydrothermal vents. These vents discharge superheated water enriched with minerals from Earth’s interior. The minerals nourish unique bacteria, which in turn nourish creatures such as crabs, clams, and tube worms. Ocean Currents Currents are streams of water running through a larger body of water. Oceans, rivers, and streams have currents. The ocean’s salinity and temperature and the coast’s geographic features determine an ocean current’s behavior. Earth’s rotation and wind also influence ocean currents. Currents flowing near the surface transport heat from the tropics to the poles and move cooler water back toward the Equator . This keeps the ocean from becoming extremely hot or cold. Deep, cold currents transport oxygen to organisms throughout the ocean. They also carry rich supplies of nutrients that all living things need. The nutrients come from plankton and the remains of other organisms that drift down and decay on the ocean floor. Along some coasts, winds and currents produce a phenomenon called upwelling . As winds push surface water away from shore, deep currents of cold water rise to take its place. This upwelling of deep water brings up nutrients that nourish new growth of plankton, providing food for fish. Ocean food chains constantly recycle food and energy this way.

Some ocean currents are enormous and extremely powerful. One of the most powerful is the Gulf Stream , a warm surface current that originates in the tropical Caribbean Sea and flows northeast along the eastern coast of the United States. The Gulf Stream measures up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) wide and is more than a kilometer (3,281 feet) deep. Like other ocean currents, the Gulf Stream plays a major role in climate. As the current travels north, it transfers moisture from its warm tropical waters to the air above. Westerly, or prevailing, winds carry the warm, moist air to the British Isles and to Scandinavia , causing them to have milder winters than they otherwise would experience at their northern latitudes . Northern parts of Norway are near the Arctic Circle but remain ice-free for most of the year because of the Gulf Stream. The weather pattern known as El Niño includes a change to the Humboldt Current (also called the Peru Current) off the western coast of South America. In El Niño conditions, a current of warm surface water travels east along the Equator and prevents the normal upwelling of the cold, nutrient-rich Humboldt Current. El Niño, which can devastate the fisheries of Peru and Ecuador, occurs every two to seven years, usually in December. The paths of ocean currents are partially determined by Earth’s rotation. This is known as the Coriolis effect . It causes large systems, such as winds and ocean currents that would normally move in a straight line, to veer to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere . People and the Ocean For thousands of years, people have depended on the ocean as a source of food and as a route for trade and exploration . Today, people continue to travel on the ocean and rely on the resources it contains. Nations continue to negotiate how to determine the extent of their territory beyond the coast. The United Nations’ Law of the Sea treaty established exclusive economic zones (EEZs), extending 200 nautical miles (230 miles) beyond a nation’s coastline. Even though some countries have not signed or ratified the treaty (including the U.S.), it is regarded as standard. Russia has proposed extending its EEZ beyond 200 nautical miles because two mid-ocean ridges, the Lomonosov and Medeleev Ridges, are extensions of the continental shelf belonging to Russia. This territory includes the North Pole. Russian explorers in a submersible vehicle planted a metal Russian flag on the disputed territory in 2007. Through the centuries, people have sailed the ocean on trade routes . Today, ships still carry most of the world’s freight , particularly bulky goods such as machinery, grain, and oil . Ocean ports are areas of commerce and culture. Water and land transportation meet there, and so do people of different professions: businesspeople who import and export goods and services; dockworkers who load and unload cargo ; and ships’ crews. Ports also have a high concentration of migrants and immigrants with a wide variety of ethnicities, nationalities, languages, and religions. Important ports in the U.S. are New York/ New Jersey and New Orleans. The busiest ports around the world include the Port of Shanghai in China and the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Ocean ports are also important for a nation’s armed forces. Some ports are used exclusively for military purposes, although most share space with commercial businesses. “The sun never sets on the British Empire” is a phrase used to explain the scope of the empire of Great Britain , mostly in the 19th century. Although based on the small European island nation of Great Britain, British military sea power extended its empire from Africa to the Americas, Asia, and Australia. Scientists and other experts hope the ocean will be used more widely as a source of renewable energy . Some countries have already harnessed the energy of ocean waves, temperature, currents, or tides to power turbines and generate electricity. One source of renewable energy are generators that are powered by tidal streams or ocean currents. They convert the movement of currents into energy. Ocean current generators have not been developed on a large scale, but are working in some places in Ireland and Norway. Some conservationists criticize the impact the large constructions have on the marine environment. Another source of renewable energy is ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). It uses the difference in temperature between the warm, surface water and cold, deep water to run an engine. OTEC facilities exist in places with significant differences in ocean depth: Japan, India and the U.S. state of Hawai'i, for instance. An emerging source of renewable energy is salinity gradient power , also known as osmotic power. It is an energy source that uses the power of freshwater entering into saltwater. This technology is still being developed, but it has potential in delta areas where fresh river water is constantly interacting with the ocean. Fishing Fishers catch more than 90 million tons of seafood each year, including more than 100 species of fish and shellfish . Millions of people, from professional fishers to business owners like restaurant owners and boat builders, depend on fisheries for their livelihood . Fishing can be classified in two ways. In subsistence fishing, fishers use their catch to help meet the nutritional needs of their families or communities. In commercial fishing , fishers sell their catch for money, goods or services. Popular subsistence and commercial fish are tuna, cod, and shrimp. Ocean fishing is also a popular recreational sport. Sport fishing can be competitive or noncompetitive. In sport fishing tournaments, individuals or teams compete for prizes based on the size of a particular species caught in a specific time period. Both competitive and noncompetitive sport fishers need licenses to fish, and may or may not keep the caught fish. Increasingly, sport fishers practice catch-and-release fishing, where a fish is caught, measured, weighed, and often recorded on film before being released back to the ocean. Popular game fish (fish caught for sport) are tuna and marlin. Whaling is a type of fishing that involves the harvesting of whales and dolphins. It has declined in popularity since the 19th century but is still a way of life for many cultures, such as those in Scandinavia, Japan, Canada, and the Caribbean. The ocean offers a wealth of fishing and whaling resources, but these resources are threatened. People have harvested so much fish and marine life for food and other products that some species have disappeared. During the 1800s and early 1900s, whalers killed thousands of whales for whale oil (wax made from boiled blubber ) and ivory (whales’ teeth). Some species, including the blue whale ( Balaenoptera musculus ) and the right whale, were hunted nearly to extinction . Many species are still endangered today. In the 1960s and 1970s, catches of important food fish, such as herring in the North Sea and anchovies in the Pacific, began to drop off dramatically. Governments took notice of overfishing —harvesting more fish than the ecosystem can replenish . Fishers were forced to go farther out to sea to find fish, putting them at risk. (Deep-sea fishing is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.) Now, they use advanced equipment, such as electronic fish finders and large gill nets or trawling nets, to catch more fish. This means there are far fewer fish to reproduce and replenish the supply. In 1992, the collapse, or disappearance, of cod in Canada’s Newfoundland Grand Banks put 40,000 fishers out of work. A ban was placed on cod fishing, and to this day, neither the cod nor the fisheries have recovered. To catch the dwindling numbers of fish, most fishers use trawl nets. They drag the nets along the seabed and across acres of ocean. These nets accidentally catch many small, young fish and mammals. Animals caught in fishing nets meant for other species are called bycatch . The fishing industry and fisheries management agencies argue about how to address the problem of bycatch and overfishing. Those involved in the fishing industry do not want to lose their jobs, while conservationists want to maintain healthy levels of fish in the ocean. A number of consumers are choosing to purchase sustainable seafood . Sustainable seafood is harvested from sources (either wild or farmed) that do not deplete the natural ecosystem. Mining and Drilling Many minerals come from the ocean. Sea salt is a mineral that has been used as a flavoring and preservative since ancient times. Sea salt has many additional minerals, such as calcium, that ordinary table salt lacks. Hydrothermal vents often form seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) deposits , which contain precious metals. These SMS deposits sit on the ocean floor, sometimes in the deep ocean and sometimes closer to the surface. New techniques are being developed to mine the seafloor for valuable minerals such as copper, lead, nickel, gold, and silver. Mining companies employ thousands of people and provide goods and services for millions more. Critics of undersea mining maintain that it disrupts the local ecology . Organisms—corals, shrimp, mussels—that live on the seabed have their habitat disturbed, upsetting the food chain. In addition, destruction of habitat threatens the viability of species that have a narrow niche . Maui’s dolphin ( Cephalorhynchus hectori maui ), for instance, is a critically endangered species native to the waters of New Zealand’s North Island. The numbers of Maui’s dolphin are already reduced because of bycatch. Seabed mining threatens its habitat, putting it at further risk of extinction. Oil is one of the most valuable resources taken from the ocean today. Offshore oil rigs pump petroleum from wells drilled into the continental shelf. About one-quarter of all oil and natural gas supplies now comes from offshore oil deposits around the world. Offshore drilling requires complex engineering . An oil platform can be constructed directly onto the ocean floor, or it can “float” above an anchor. Depending on how far out on the continental shelf an oil platform is located, workers may have to be flown in. Underwater, or subsea, facilities are complicated groups of drilling equipment connected to each other and a single oil rig. Subsea production often requires remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs). Some countries invest in offshore drilling for profit and to prevent reliance on oil from other regions. The Gulf of Mexico near the U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana is heavily drilled. Several European countries, including the United Kingdom, Denmark, and the Netherlands, drill in the North Sea. Offshore drilling is a complicated and expensive program, however. There are a limited number of companies that have the knowledge and resources to work with local governments to set up offshore oil rigs. Most of these companies are based in Europe and North America, although they do business all over the world. Some governments have banned offshore oil drilling. They cite safety and environmental concerns. There have been several accidents where the platform itself has exploded, at the cost of many lives. Offshore drilling also poses threats to the ocean ecosystem. Spills and leaks from oil rigs and oil tankers that transport the material seriously harm marine mammals and birds. Oil coats feathers, impairing birds’ ability to maintain their body temperature and remain buoyant in the water. The fur of otters and seals are also coated, and oil entering the digestive tract of animals may damage their organs. Offshore oil rigs also release metal cuttings, minute amounts of oil, and drilling fluid into the ocean every day. Drilling fluid is the liquid used with machinery to drill holes deep in the planet. This liquid can contain pollutants such as toxic chemicals and heavy metals . Pollution Most oil pollution does not come from oil spills, however. It comes from the runoff of pollutants into streams and rivers that flow into the ocean. Most runoff comes from individual consumers. Cars, buses, motorcycles, and even lawn mowers spill oil and grease on roads, streets, and highways. (Runoff is what makes busy roads shiny and sometimes slippery.) Storm drains or creeks wash the runoff into local waterways, which eventually flow into the ocean. The largest U.S. oil spill in the ocean took place in Alaska in 1989, by the tanker Exxon Valdez . The Exxon Valdez spilled at least 10 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound. In comparison, American and Canadian consumers spill about 16 million gallons of oil runoff into the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans every year. For centuries, people have used the ocean as a dumping ground for sewage and other wastes. In the 21st century, the wastes include not only oil, but also chemical runoff from factories and agriculture . These chemicals include nitrates and phosphates , which are often used as fertilizers . These chemicals encourage algae blooms. An algae bloom is an increase in algae and bacteria that threatens plants and other marine life. Algae blooms limit the amount of oxygen in a marine environment, leading to what are known as dead zones , where little life exists beneath the ocean’s surface. Algae blooms can spread across hundreds or even thousands of miles. Another source of pollution is plastics . Most ocean debris, or garbage, is plastic thrown out by consumers. Plastics such as water bottles, bags, six-pack rings, and packing material put marine life at risk. Sea animals are harmed by the plastic either by getting tangled in it or by eating it. An example of marine pollution consisting mainly of plastics is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch . The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a floating dump in the North Pacific. It’s about twice the size of Texas and probably contains about 100 million tons of debris. Most of this debris comes from the western coast of North America (the U.S. and Canada) and the eastern coast of Asia (Japan, China, Russia, North Korea, and South Korea). Because of ocean currents and weather patterns, the patch is a relatively stable formation and contains new and disintegrating debris. The smaller pieces of plastic debris are eaten by jellyfish or other organisms, and are then consumed by larger predators in the food web. These plastic chemicals may then enter a human’s diet through fish or shellfish. Another source of pollution is carbon dioxide. The ocean absorbs most carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, which is necessary for life, is known as a greenhouse gas and traps radiation in Earth’s atmosphere. Carbon dioxide forms many acids, called carbonic acids , in the ocean. Ocean ecosystems have adapted to the presence of certain levels of carbonic acids, but the increase in carbon dioxide has led to an increase in ocean acids. This ocean acidification erodes the shells of animals such as clams, crabs, and corals. Global Warming Global warming contributes to rising ocean temperatures and sea levels . Warmer oceans radically alter the ecosystem. Global warming causes cold-water habitats to shrink, meaning there is less room for animals such as penguins, seals, or whales. Plankton, the base of the ocean food chain, thrives in cold water. Warming water means there will be less plankton available for marine life to eat. Melting glaciers and ice sheets contribute to sea level rise . Rising sea levels threaten coastal ecosystems and property. River deltas and estuaries are put at risk for flooding. Coasts are more likely to suffer erosion . Seawater more often contaminates sources of fresh water. All these consequences—flooding, erosion, water contamination—put low-lying island nations, such as the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, at high risk for disaster. To find ways to protect the ocean from pollution and the effects of climate change, scientists from all over the world are cooperating in studies of ocean waters and marine life. They are also working together to control pollution and limit global warming. Many countries are working to reach agreements on how to manage and harvest ocean resources. Although the ocean is vast, it is more easily polluted and damaged than people once thought. It requires care and protection as well as expert management. Only then can it continue to provide the many resources that living things—including people—need.

The Most Coast . . . Canada has 202,080 kilometers (125,567 miles) of coastline. Short But Sweet . . . Monaco has four kilometers (2.5 miles) of coastline.

No, the Toilet Doesn't Flush Backward in Australia The Coriolis effect, which can be seen in large-scale phenomena like trade winds and ocean currents, cannot be duplicated in small basins like sinks.

Extraterrestrial Oceans Mars probably had oceans billions of years ago, but ice and dry seabeds are all that remain today. Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, is probably covered by an ocean of water more than 96 kilometers (60 miles) deep, but it is trapped beneath a layer of ice, which the warmer water below frequently cracks. One of Saturn's moons, Enceladus, has cryovolcanism, or ice volcanoes. Instead of erupting with lava, ice volcanoes erupt with water, ammonia, or methane. Ice volcanoes may indicate oceanic activity.

International Oil Spill The largest oil spill in history, the Gulf War oil spill, released at least 40 million gallons of oil into the Persian Gulf. Valves at the Sea Island oil terminal in Kuwait were opened on purpose after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1991. The oil was intended to stop a landing by U.S. Marines, but the oil drifted south to the shores of Saudi Arabia. A study of the Gulf War oil spill (conducted by the United Nations, several countries in the Middle East and the United States) found that most of the spilled oil evaporated and caused little damage to the environment.

Ocean Seas The floors of the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea are more like the ocean than other seas they do not rest on a continent, but directly on the ocean's basalt crust.

Early Ocean Explorers Polynesian people navigated a region of the Pacific Ocean now known as the Polynesian Triangle by 700 C.E. The corners of the Polynesian Triangle are islands: the American state of Hawai'i, the country of New Zealand, and the Chilean territory of Easter Island (also known as Rapa Nui). The distance between Easter Island and New Zealand, the longest length of the Polynesian Triangle, is one-quarter of Earth's circumference, more than 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles). Polynesians successfully traveled these distances in canoes. It would be hundreds of years before another culture explored the ocean to this extent.

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How Changing Ocean Temperatures Could Upend Life on Earth

Is the world’s climate close to a tipping point.

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Katrin Bennhold. This is “The Daily.”

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Many of the effects of climate change are already with us — heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, flooding. But some of the most alarming consequences are hiding beneath the surface of the ocean. Today, my colleagues David Gelles and Raymond Zhong on just how close we might be to a tipping point.

It’s Tuesday, May 7.

David, you’ve been writing about different aspects of climate change for years and are definitely no stranger to distressing news about a warming planet. But something about ocean temperatures seems particularly distressing. What’s going on?

Starting last year, scientists started noting something alarming happening in oceans all around the world. It was warm in the oceans, but it started to get really hot in ways that they had never seen before. And for the last year-plus, I’ve been checking in with scientists. And they are increasingly concerned, perplexed even, with what they’re seeing.

And when you say oceans are getting hotter, can you just give me a sense of how much the oceans are warming and how fast?

Well, if you look at a chart that shows, say, the last two or three decades of average sea surface temperatures, you’ll see a gradual warming trend. But starting last March, we didn’t see another gradual increase. We saw this big jump. And from March of 2023 on, it stayed hot. And it’s just getting hotter. And we began 2024 at this much higher level than we’ve ever seen before.

And we’re still there. And in many parts of the world, the temperatures are still going up as we head into summer. And that has scientists really concerned.

And you said earlier that none of the scientists that you’ve been checking in with and none of these very sophisticated climate models that they’re operating with can explain this big jump. And I guess I have to ask at this point, why are these scientists so surprised? I mean, we’ve seen record-breaking heat waves for the past several years. It seems like every single year is hotter than the last. Why is it any surprise that the ocean is no different?

Well, they’re not surprised that the ocean is warming. They have understood for many years now that the overall man-made global warming that we’re experiencing all over the world in all these different ways is going to affect the oceans. Water is very absorbent for heat, and a lot of the extra heat that we’re producing from the burning of fossil fuels, a lot of the extra heat that’s being caused in the atmosphere as a result of that is just getting sucked in to the ocean. And bit by bit, over the last many decades, the oceans have gotten warmer.

So even after the air cools, say, in winter or something, the ocean holds on to a portion of that heat?

That’s right. Even when it’s cold outside, the oceans, year after year, have been getting a little warmer as a result of climate change.

But that on its own does not account for the kind of warming that we’re seeing right now?

Not even close.

So what else do they think could be going on?

Well, for the last year or so, the Pacific Ocean has been going through an El Niño cycle, which is when a lot of excess heat is released from the ocean. And in addition to making the Pacific Ocean hotter, it has sort of an overall warming nudge, a little boost for warmth in ocean heat around the world. But even that doesn’t explain the big jumps we’ve seen. And there’s another counterintuitive factor that scientists believe is playing a role here as well, and that has everything to do with the pollution being emitted by big ocean liners, by big ships traveling across the Atlantic.

So in 2020, some shipping regulations changed. And they required that the emissions from the fuel being used in big ocean tankers become much cleaner. And as a result of that, there was less sulfur dioxide in the shipping emissions. That’s a good thing for many reasons. Sulfur dioxide is a pollutant. It can have really adverse health effects on humans. But one of the things it was also doing was refracting sunlight away from the oceans.

And so what we’ve seen over the last recent years is, as there was less sulfur dioxide in the North Atlantic, as less and less of that particulate matter was in the atmosphere and able to bounce the sun’s energy back into space, more and more of the sun’s energy, more and more of the sun’s heat was making its way into the oceans. And that, scientists are now understanding, likely played a warming role as well.

So basically, lower emissions in these shipping lanes means less kind of smoggy cloud cover and, therefore, more direct sunlight hitting the ocean surface and heating it up, which actually kind of rings a bell. Because we talked about this in the show recently in relation to scientists wanting to artificially create more potent cloud cover to cool down the planet. It’s a little ironic that scientists are now trying to engineer the very thing we were trying to stop doing. Talk about unintended consequences.

That’s right. And this is one of those instances where there are these very tough trade-offs, right? It’s great, yes, that we have less pollution. That’s going to be good for public health. On the other hand, it may have allowed yet more warming in the oceans that’s having cascading effects across all sorts of ecosystems that we’re only just beginning to understand.

Yeah. Let’s talk about that for a moment. What are the effects of this mysterious warming? You mentioned ecosystems.

Well, there are a lot of effects when the oceans get this hot this fast. But perhaps the most immediate concern among people all over the world is the fact that in dozens and dozens of countries all over the world, we’re experiencing a record wave of coral bleaching, which is to say that coral reefs, these vitally important parts of the ocean ecosystems, are just dying at a rate we’ve never really seen before. And that’s going to have all sorts of negative effects for fisheries all over the globe.

Why are coral reefs so important?

Well, they matter for a lot more than just snorkeling. Yes, they’re beautiful. And yes, they are the center of a lot of tourist activity. But they’re also sort of this fundamental, foundational part of the marine food chain. And so when we think about all of the life that coral reefs sustain, that all allows for smaller fish to flourish and go out into the ocean. And those smaller fish contribute to the lives and the ecosystems of bigger fish.

And when we think back to the food chain that we learned about when we were in elementary school, coral reefs are right at the bottom of that. And if we lose that, it’s going to have devastating effects for marine ecosystems all over the world.

Is there any hope to save the coral at this point, or are they doomed?

My colleague Catrin Einhorn has been doing a lot of great reporting on the situation with corals. And she’s highlighted some of the efforts underway to try to save them, to grow more resilient corals. But the truth is, the scale we’re seeing, with bleaching events happening all around the world in something like 56 countries, it’s just not possible to stop it entirely at this point.

So it’s one of these dominoes in our ecosystem that can set off a whole range of problems and actually result in major losses to biodiversity.

And just to come back to the mystery of it all, we just don’t know what happens when those dominoes start to fall. And it’s not just corals that are being impacted here. The weather could well change as a result of these warmer oceans as well. And I’m particularly thinking about the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season. Warm water is a key ingredient to hurricanes. When you think about hurricanes and how strong they get and how fast they intensify, one of the most important factors in both of those dynamics is how hot the water is.

And when we see all this warm water hanging out in the Atlantic Ocean, that is leading forecasters to predict a potentially record-breaking hurricane season that is right around the corner in the North Atlantic. And that could affect the Caribbean, North America, and beyond.

What’s striking to me is that we know that the oceans are getting much hotter. We don’t fully know why, and we can’t fully explain what the impact will be, which really doesn’t sound great. But if we don’t fully understand what’s going on, then how can we even hope to do something about it?

Well, I’ve been asking scientists this very question. Like, what is there to be done? And the tough answer is, there’s no easy way to turn down the thermostat of the oceans. This warming is happening. And our job now is to live with it as best we can.

And we haven’t even talked about what some people regard as the biggest threat of all. As the oceans warm, they’re contributing to the melting of glaciers and the loss of Arctic sea ice. And as that happens, many people are worried not just about rising sea levels but also about the disruption to a vitally important ocean current. And if that happens, it could have massive ramifications for the entire planet. It could change just about everything we know about life on Earth.

After the break, my colleague Raymond Zhong talks about the possibility of that ocean current collapsing.

We’ll be right back.

Raymond, before the break, our colleague David Gelles told us all about this alarming trend of the ocean heating up and some of the very worrying consequences of that. But you are here to tell us about something else that may be happening in the ocean, something to do with ocean currents. And if I’m honest, it sounds like something straight out of a science-fiction movie. Can you explain?

Sure, Katrin. And actually, you’re right. It is something from a science-fiction movie.

I’m here at the global warming conference in New Delhi, where, if you can believe your eyes, it’s snowing.

About 20 years ago, a movie called “The Day After Tomorrow” came out.

The only force strong enough to affect global weather is the sun.

What about the North Atlantic Current? I got a call last night from Professor Rapson at the Hedland Center. He thinks the current has changed.

[MURMURING]

Oh, come on, Jack. How could that be?

And the plot of that movie is that there’s this major ocean current in the Atlantic that — it suddenly stops moving. It collapses. And it sets off this cascade of natural disasters —

In Nova Scotia earlier today, the ocean rose by 25 feet in a matter of seconds.

What you’re seeing are two actual tornadoes striking Los Angeles International Airport.

It’s a mob scene here at Grand Central Station. Over half the platforms are flooded, and service has suspended on all trains.

— that ultimately plunge the planet into a new ice age.

What can we do?

Save as many as you can.

I guess my question to you, Raymond, given what we’re talking about here is, which part of that movie is science fiction, and which part is actual science?

I’d say most of the movie is pretty purely fiction. But there is a kernel of truth in the science, which is that this vital ocean current in the Atlantic is very real. And just like in the movie, scientists are worried about what happens if it shuts down.

OK. So tell me about this current.

Scientists have given it a very, very unwieldy name.

They call it the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. But most people just use the acronym AMOC. AMOC.

Think of it as a giant conveyor belt of water that loops around the Atlantic Ocean. And it starts near the equator, goes up through the Caribbean, around the East Coast of the US, up toward Northern Europe, and then back again.

Scientists have come to realize how important AMOC is for a lot of the climate that we enjoy today. A lot of Northern Europe — Britain, Iceland, Scandinavia — is habitable today, really, because of AMOC. It’s because this system transports heat from the equator and very generously drops it off in Northern Europe — that even though it’s so far from the equator, it’s not as uninhabitable as, say, far Northern Canada or Siberia.

And let me just ask you, is this AMOC current the same thing as the Gulf Stream, which people write about and are worried about a lot these days?

Yeah, the Gulf Stream is a similar system of currents. But AMOC is the full loop. The Gulf Stream is just one part of it, but AMOC is really what’s important for the climate.

OK. So before we talk about AMOC shutting down or collapsing, can you actually kind of give me a quick science 101 explanation of how this thing works? Like, there’s this massive loop of water, like, I guess, an underwater river that you described which kind of transports warm water up towards the north and then comes back as cold water. What keeps this thing running? How does a current just stay in constant motion and loop around like that?

It has to do primarily with differences in temperature and salinity. Basically, fluids want to keep moving in a particular direction. And it’s driven by this balance between warm water, cold water, salty water, fresh water. Heavier water wants to sink. Lighter water wants to rise. And so the temperature and salinity of the water is sort of what determines how dense it is. And this density and differences in density keeps this giant loop moving.

It’s something that explorers noted in the Atlantic hundreds of years ago. They noticed that deep water was very cold. It was unexpected. And so I think as people have started studying the oceans more and science has advanced, they’ve realized there’s a very delicate system of differences in temperature and salinity that keeps this conveyor belt moving.

That’s really fascinating. I mean, I’ve always known we had these currents and that they were really important, but I never really appreciated and understood what it takes to keep them going. So, OK, tell me why scientists are so worried about AMOC shutting down.

As the planet warms, there’s something that might be significantly affecting this delicate balance. And that’s the melting of the Greenland ice sheet. With the melting of the ice, there’s this big infusion of fresh water into the northern Atlantic. And because that affects the salinity of the northern Atlantic, it sort of changes the balance of salinity and temperature, potentially enough to knock this loop off course. And there’s signs already that this is happening, that at least the current is slowing down. And one major piece of evidence is this cold blob that’s appeared in the northern Atlantic.

A cold blob?

A cold blob, that’s right. With most almost everywhere on the planet getting warmer because of the greenhouse gases that we’re putting into the atmosphere, there’s a conspicuous blob in the North Atlantic, near Greenland, that is getting cooler. And it’s exactly the place that scientists would expect to be getting cooler if AMOC were slowing down.

OK. So the Greenland ice sheet is melting due to climate change, and that seems to be disrupting this current. So as a result, less warm water is being transported north, and that’s why we have this cold blob that scientists have noticed in the North Atlantic.

That’s right.

And do we know what would happen if the current collapsed today?

So the best source of information we have about what happens when AMOC collapses comes from about 12,800 years ago —

— which is, as far as scientists know, the last major time this happened. Basically, the climate changed really, really quickly, at least by geological time. It was sort of less than 100 years, as far as scientists know. Much of the Northern Hemisphere got cold again. The temperature in parts of Greenland probably fell by about 18 degrees Fahrenheit.

Forests were replaced by tundra. Ice sheets grew again. As far away as California and the Southwestern US, you had evidence of cooler, drier conditions. And as far as scientists can tell, this may even have contributed to the disappearance of some of our early hunter-gatherer civilizations. Some of our ancestors were probably pushing into new territory as the ice sheets retreated and were suddenly confronted with another blast of cold.

Wow. OK. So the last time this happened, this current shutdown, the world was basically plunged into an ice age and wiped out part of humanity. Is that the scenario we’re looking at today?

I think scientists are careful about not being too precise about what it would look like if it happened again. The world, after all, is still warming. And so in a lot of ways, the climate is already quite different from the one that was around at the time. But certainly, I think scientists expect Northern Europe — the UK, Iceland, Scandinavia — to become a much colder place even than it was 200 years ago, before the Industrial Revolution, before humans started adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

How cold are we talking? You mentioned the UK. I’m in the UK right now. I mean, would Britain suddenly look like the frozen tundra?

It would be significantly colder. It’s far north enough to really be almost Arctic. And I think an AMOC collapse could bring much stronger winter storms, deep cold in the winter that would be extremely dangerous. But at the same time, that cold around the North Atlantic doesn’t just translate straightforwardly into cold everywhere. Basically, if you don’t have AMOC, you have more heat that stays around the tropics and the equator. A warm ocean around the equator gives the fuel to storms around the equator and rainfall around the equator.

So it’s not just about getting that warm water from the tropics to Europe. It’s also getting that warm water away from the tropics to avoid things like extreme weather events.

That’s right. And it’s not just about the temperatures people would experience. It’s also about agriculture. And especially in vulnerable places like Africa, big shifts in rainfall, big shifts in temperature could really affect food chains, food supplies, our ability to feed ourselves.

And what does that mean for humans living in these places? Like, you were saying that, 13,000 years ago, Northern Europe basically wasn’t inhabitable anymore. Would humans still be able to live in these places?

We, as a civilization, as a species, obviously have some ability to withstand a range of temperatures, a range of weather conditions. But we really haven’t seen, in our recent history, at least, changes as fast as the ones scientists imagine an AMOC collapse would bring. It’s really hard to say, is Northern Europe ready for a much colder climate than it is right now? If, for instance, sea level rise accelerates on the East Coast of the US, are cities there prepared? That’s another consequence of AMOC that scientists are worried about.

And it’s obviously already happening. And you can see the effects of sea level rise in places like the Gulf Coast, North Carolina, Florida, even New York. But certainly, it would be a test for countries, societies around the northern Atlantic that they haven’t seen before.

OK. That’s a very scary prospect with everything that goes with it — mass floods and displacement of people, climate migration — everything that you can imagine. When do scientists predict that this could actually happen based on the data they have and assuming, of course, current human behavior and emissions don’t change?

As best as scientists can tell right now, they know AMOC is weakening. They expect it to continue weakening. Whether a collapse is imminent, whether it’s far away is still really, really hard to say. But it couldn’t quickly be reversed. Once you started on this process, the system just keeps moving in that direction.

Like a point of no return?

So if we’re already seeing signs that this current is weakening, does that mean we’re possibly already past that point of no return? Is it no longer a matter of if but when?

The really short answer is, we just don’t know. The best guess is that it’s not going to shut down this century. But plenty of scientists are worried. It’s something that a lot of them are focused on very intensely, just because we do think the consequences, if AMOC did shut down, could be so catastrophic.

If that current collapsed, though, is there anything we could do to bring it back? Like, it did come back 13,000 years ago after that last ice age. What happened?

Short answer again, nobody is quite sure. It seems to have abruptly grown warm again over 40, 50 years. But it’s pretty unclear why. And I think as far as what would happen today to bring it back, scientists would still say cutting greenhouse gas emissions and preventing the planet from overheating is probably the only thing we have in our control that could influence the climate on that scale.

I mean, it’s sort of where we land at the end of every episode about climate change. And it’s sort of interesting. I mean, probably like a lot of people listening to you, I find all this pretty scary and dystopian and worrying. It’s kind of crazy to think, actually, that scientists have warned about this for decades, that there was even a science-fiction movie made 20 years ago, which, in some ways, predicted what might be the real consequences of this current shutting down. It’s not like we humans lack the imagination of all the terrible things we’re risking here. But when it comes to protecting ourselves and the planet against this existential threat, we are clearly unwilling to do what it takes.

Yeah. Scientists have been thinking about AMOC and had a pretty good grasp of what AMOC looked like decades ago. As early as the ‘80s and ‘90s, scientists made this connection between the warming that humans were bringing about and consequences like an AMOC collapse and other things as well.

It was one of the scientists who wrote about AMOC in the ‘80s who said, “The climate system is an angry beast, and we are poking it with sticks.” And that’s still true today.

Well, Raymond, thank you very much.

Thank you, Katrin.

Here’s what else you need to know today. On Monday, the judge in Donald Trump’s hush money trial held the former president in contempt for repeatedly violating a gag order and threatened to jail him. The judge told Trump that the last thing he wanted to do is to put him in jail, but at the end of the day, he had a job to do and would seriously consider it. And Israel stepped up its attack on the southern city of Rafah in Gaza hours after Hamas said it was ready to accept a ceasefire proposal.

The proposal was put forward by Egyptian and Qatari mediators. But Israel responded by saying that it failed to meet its demands. The prime minister’s office said it would still send a delegation to talk about how to reach an acceptable deal.

Today’s episode was produced by Carlos Prieto, Michael Simon Johnson, Alex Stern, and Diana Nguyen. It was edited by Devon Taylor, contains original music by Rowan Niemisto and Marion Lozano. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Katrin Bennhold. See you tomorrow.

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• May 3, 2024   •   25:33 The Protesters and the President
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• May 1, 2024   •   35:16 The New Abortion Fight Before the Supreme Court
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• April 29, 2024   •   47:53 Trump 2.0: What a Second Trump Presidency Would Bring

Hosted by Katrin Bennhold

Featuring David Gelles and Raymond Zhong

Produced by Carlos Prieto ,  Michael Simon Johnson ,  Alex Stern and Diana Nguyen

Edited by Devon Taylor

Original music by Rowan Niemisto ,  Marion Lozano and Dan Powell

Engineered by Alyssa Moxley

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While many of the effects of climate change, including heat waves, droughts and wildfires, are already with us, some of the most alarming consequences are hiding beneath the surface of the ocean.

David Gelles and Raymond Zhong, who both cover climate for The New York Times, explain just how close we might be to a tipping point.

On today’s episode

David Gelles , who reports for The New York Times Climate team and leads The Times’s Climate Forward newsletter .

Raymond Zhong , a reporter focusing on climate and environmental issues for The New York Times.

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Scientists are freaking out about ocean temperatures.

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Katrin Bennhold is the Berlin bureau chief. A former Nieman fellow at Harvard University, she previously reported from London and Paris, covering a range of topics from the rise of populism to gender. More about Katrin Bennhold

David Gelles reports on climate change and leads The Times’s Climate Forward newsletter and events series . More about David Gelles

Raymond Zhong reports on climate and environmental issues for The Times. More about Raymond Zhong

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