Climate change is real, and its impacts on aquatic ecosystems need a thorough investigation in order to get a clear picture of future estimations. One such study was conducted by heating the floor of Antarctica and observations were made in reference to the few indigenous species. The result pointed out that some species will exponentially increase their growth rate when exposed to warmth while some are less resilient to temperature changes. Additionally, those species that responded positively to temperature change may dominate the less resilient animals, thus the probable result is that most of the species that don’t survive in a warm environment may be extinct. An estimation of the next 50 years or so shows that the Southern Ocean will warm by about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, and will continue rising thereafter (The New York Times 7).
Personally, I believe that climate change is a menace that if not managed will lead to extinction of many species. From the experiment conducted in the ocean by Dr. Ashton, it is clear that some species may end up thriving and being more dominant that they were before (The New York Times 14). The science behind the accelerated growth is still unclear, although most of the dominant species might die over time due to failure to adapt to environmental changes. The fast growth of certain species will demand an increase in food to sustain the fast growth. Eventually, these species that do well in warmer climates may also die because of insufficient food. It is clear that one of the most affected ecosystems due to climate change is the marine organisms, especially those in cold regions of the arctic (Hoegh-Guldberg and Bruno 1523).
In summary, most people have come to understand that climate change will affect our environment but what is not fully in cooperated is the extent of its impact. There needs to be a thorough examination of the possible trend organisms might take with the continuous increase in temperature.
Works Cited
Hoegh-Guldberg, Ove and John F. Bruno. “The impact of climate change on the world’s marine ecosystems.” Science 328.5985 (2010): 1523-1528.
Times, The New York. Hot Spots in a Freezing Ocean Offer Lessons in Climate Change. 31 08 2017. 12 04 2018 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/31/science/climate-change-antarctic-ocean.html