The Catastrophic Impact of Rising Oceans on the Pacific Islands

Scientist are interested in this research because by establishing critical levels for heat exposure we are able to assess the resilience of coral reef ecosystems and predict how areas will be affected by future heat episodes. In this study the authors found that northern areas in the Great Barrier Reef showed mortality at lower levels than previously established. We show that

In the article “Climate change in Hawaii and U.S Tropical islands” written by EPA, informs the audience that island communities and ecosystems face uncertainty as a result of the negative effects brought on by one of the most controversial topics debated today. Climate change. Islands, like Hawaii, Guam, and the Caribbean, are most vulnerable to the harsh effects of climate change. The reason for this is because islands are small and the way their infrastructures are set up make communities almost directly affected. One of the most important things that are affected is the weather. In areas where precipitation was generous, rainfall is actually decreasing while drier areas see an increase in rainfall. Less precipitation also means less available water resources because

The rise of sea levels are projected to increase warmer waters from one and a half to two degrees in Central North Pacific in 2050, 1.9 to 2.6 degrees in Northern Islands, and also two to five degrees in the Caribbean at the end of this century. This rise of temperature decreases the life of ecosystems in the ocean and resulting in less freshwater for

Global warming affects the ocean water level because of the raising temperatures; it causes the icebergs to melt which adds more water in the ocean. This poses a threat to Hawaii and other islands because Hawaii is made up of islands, which are small and surrounded by water. This leaves us at risk for many things with the reef and the people.

In present day, the ocean is warmer now than it has been in the past 50 years. In the article, " Signs of Climate Change", it says that in 1960 the average ocean tempature change was -.3 degrees but in 2010 the average tempature change in the ocean was .6 degrees. Where I live the tempature is still continuing to rise more and more each year. With warmer ocean tempature comes rising sea level. In present day the sea level has rose by 7 inches in the past 100 years. In 2100 th tempature is around 15 inches higher than it is in present day. Both of these things are causing more tropical storms to happen and is also making the beach less and less

Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, forests are drying and wildlife is suffering, these are all results of the apparent rise in global temperatures and it has become more

The Sea Level has increased over the past 200 years as average global temperatures have increased. The rise is due to two factors, the freshwater being added to the oceans from ice melt in the cryosphere, and the thermal expansion of the oceans due to rises in sea temperature. The sea level has risen 6 to 8 inches in the past 100 years. It is predicted to rise another 50 to 90 centimeters in the next century. As the sea level rises it’s jeopardizing rapidly growing coastal communities, which causes evacuation in some areas causing people to lose their homes. Sea level is the effect

The combination of these and other trends was an estimated average sea-level increase of 1.5mm per year between 1961 and 2003, which reached 2.4mm per year in the decade from 1993 to 2003. The decades prior to this trend showed only minor fluctuations in sea-level, suggesting that the current rate exceeds what could be caused by natural cycles. While the exact impact of rising oceans is difficult to determine, it is certain that the consequences will include some degree of flooding, integration of salt water into water tables, and a loss of land due to coastal erosion and submersion.6

It is estimated that by the end of the century, climate change and warmer oceans will kill coral reefs. Lubofsky follows the studies of graduate student Hannah Barkley in this article. Hannah Barkley has been studying coral health in the western Pacific. She investigates how coral reefs respond to climate change and which corals can survive in this climate change. Coral reefs “provide habitats for 25 percent of all marine species” (Lubofsky 28) and protect shorelines from storm damage. Barkley moved her research from “Cape Cod to the Rock Islands of Palau to study reef communities” (Lubofsky 28) since temperature and acidity have risen in some Palauan bays. To obtain the temperatures in the Palauan reefs, Barkley and her colleagues set up a network of underwater temperature sensors around the barrier reef and inside the lagoons. One of Barkley’s advisors, Cohen, found that “ocean warming affects coral reefs in at least two ways” (Lubofsky 29). First, an increase in temperature by 1oC can break down the symbiotic relationship between the coral and algae causing the corals to become bleached and die. Coral bleaching happens when the symbiotic relationship is gone and photosynthesis ceases to occur. Second, warming “stratifies the ocean into warmer surface layers and denser,

According to SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway "sea-level rise and other adverse impacts of climate change continue to pose a significant risk to Small Island Developing States and their efforts to achieve sustainable development and, for many, represent the

Global climate change is one of the greatest threats to the long run future of coral reefs. In combination with other natural and human-induced pressures, warming seas pose a serious risk to the world's coral reef ecosystems. Summer sea temperature increases of just 2-3°C for a week or two, or 1-2°C for a month or two, are enough to kill sensitive corals.

What humanity faces from the ramifications of this issue is immense. This research article will seek to convey and articulate if climate change has affected the rise of ocean levels, and if so what are the detrimental affects on coastal communities. This article will also reveal what specific regions and events that are happening that are elevating ocean level rise. The objective of this research article is to inform people about the plight that humanity has found itself in and how to prevent ecological damage and along with that prepare for the coming tide.

According to a study in October 2015, “Earth had warmed by about 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880 when records begin at a global scale. Which includes the surface of the ocean. The warming is greater over land and greater still in the Arctic and parts of Antarctica” (Gillis, 2015). Although an increase of warmth of 1.7 degrees doesn’t seem like it’s a big deal,

We are slowly destroying our climate and environment. The land and ocean surfaces have warmed roughly 1.53 degrees Fahrenheit from 1880-2012 (How much has the global temperature risen since 1880? 1). Land warms faster than the oceans. In the northern hemisphere, 1983 to 2012 were the warmest 30 year period in the last 1,300 years (How much has the global temperature risen since 1880? 1). This is a cause for concern among scientist.

Rising sea levels are caused by the melting of ice which is from the raising temperature in the atmosphere. When the ocean water rises land begins to disappear which puts not only the risk of land not being there, but the risk of the people living there. In the article “Global Warming Impacts” written by a group called, union of concerned scientist write “Global warming is now accelerating the rate of sea level rise, increasing flooding risks to low-lying communities…”. The people that this will be affected are low-lying communities and one of those communities is the Marshall Islands. The Marshall Islands are located near the equator in the pacific ocean and close to being sea level. Since the temperature has been warming up so much, some parts of this island are being flooded. People there are concerned. Many of the locals aren’t just concerned with their island vanishing, but with their island their culture. New York Times interviewed Linber Anej who has lived on Marshall Islands his whole life, went to a conference in Paris representing his island's concern of having to leave their homes saying “It does not make sense for us to go to Paris and come back with something that says, ‘In a few years’ time, your country is going to be underwater. We see the damage occurring now. We’re trying to beat back the sea.”. What basically is being told is that instead of trying to bring awareness to the Marshall Islands they are just giving them a solution of where they can go after they lose