Climate change on Natural systems

How might climate change affect natural systems?

1. Impact of climate change on natural systems

a) increase in ocean surface temperatures and changes to ocean circulations

b) increase in atmospheric temperatures and changes in precipitation on land

2. Impact of climate change on aquatic ecosystems

a) threatens coral reefs and disruption of marine food webs

b) ocean acidification

3. Impact of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems

a) threatens flora and fauna

b) changes in extreme weathers including droughts and excessive rainfall

Climate change will cause the following impacts on the natural systems:

1. Rise in atmospheric and global sea surface temperatures
2. Changes to ocean circulations
3. Changes in precipitation

The ocean absorbs heat from the Sun and ocean currents move that warm water all around the planet. Ocean currents are like highways that carry water around the world. Heat (along with salt) is a major source of power for ocean currents.

Cold water near the North and South Poles sinks deeper into the ocean. Water near the equator is warmed by the Sun. Then, the warm surface water moves closer to the poles where it cools and sinks.

As Earth’s climate warms, the water also warms melting sea ice. This warming could make the water less cold and less likely to sink. Without sinking cold water, the ocean currents could slow down or stop in some places. This could change the climate in places like Europe that have milder climates thanks to the warm currents in the oceans around them.

https://climatekids.nasa.gov/ocean/#:~:text=As%20Earth's%20climate%20warms%2C%20the,or%20stop%20in%20some%20places.

Deep ocean circulations are caused by salinity of water. On the other hand, surface currents are caused by Coriolis effect, winds and tides. While the angle of incidence may affect the temperature of ocean water, salinity and temperature of ocean water are the direct factors causing deep ocean circulation.
Melting ice and heavy rainfall over the North Atlantic will lower the salinity of the water. This reduces the density of the surface water, ultimately affecting the ability of the surface water to sink to the sea floor to power the global "conveyor belt" of ocean currents.

Melting ice in Greenland and heavy rainfall over the North Atlantic has reduced the salinity and density of the waters at the northern Atlantic Ocean, causing the world's deep ocean currents to be weakened. Warmer oceans can affect ocean circulations which in turn affect nutrient supply to marine organisms, putting marine biology population at risk.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/02/world/climate-change-ocean-currents-weakening/index.html

Impacts of Climate change on aquatic ecosystems

1. Disruption of marine food webs
2. Threats to coral reefs
3. Ocean acidification

Where is the great barrier barrier located?

What are the changes in terms of the severity of coral bleaching from 2016 to 2020?

Why is there a shift in the areas affected by severe coral bleaching?

What cause coral bleaching?

How does climate change impact on coral bleaching?

What are the consequences of coral bleaching?

Source: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/great-barrier-reef-survey-what-we-saw-was-an-utter-tragedy/

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/2a6006c615d74c2ba618e5644bc3d14f?item=22

https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-living-atlas/real-time/coral-bleaching-stations/

Coral Bleaching

https://graphics.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/Interactives/2018/10/ST-climate-of-change-great-battered-reef/index.html

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sustainability/climate-change-philippines-coral-triangle-reef-protection-fishing-3265646

How does more intensified typhoons affect coral reefs in the Phillipines?
Where is the area which the coral reefs are affected by climate change?
What other activities affect the coral reefs?

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, around one-third of the carbon dioxide released into Earth’s atmosphere by human activities has been absorbed by the oceans. Ocean acidification constitutes a threat to sea life and the marine food web. Increases in ocean acidity reduce the concentration of carbonate ions and the availability of aragonite (a significant source of calcium carbonate) in seawater. This lead to fewer, smaller marine calcifiers.

https://www.britannica.com/science/ocean-acidification

Map showing global temperature anomaly in 2022.
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/world-of-change/global-temperatures

Overall - Most places experience an increase in temperature as compared to the 1951-1980 average. Temperature increase on land is higher than over the ocean.
Significant - Higher increase in temperature especially in the polar regions, above 4 degree Celsius, especially in the Arctic region.
Anomaly - Parts of the Pacific Ocean west of South America experience slight decrease in temperature of less than 0.5 degree Celsius.

Impacts of climate change on communities of organisms living on land, and their interactions. terrestrial ecosystems

The threats to flora and fauna
Changes in extreme weather including droughts and excessive rainfall

https://youtu.be/bfKT2m80F58?si=KVduGmbIiwsjSRNw
Rising sea levels and warmer temperatures could potentially mark the end of native animals and plants that have called Singapore home for centuries. Some, like the prehistoric horseshoe crabs, have been around for the past 400 million years. However, new long-term climate projections for Singapore are raising more alarm bells about the species at risk. Read more: https://cna.asia/3vxxU7P

Countries across the globe are facing a range of extreme weather events. Hailstorm hit Germany in the middle of summer. Severe flooding in parts of Europe, including Sweden and Slovenia, with hundreds of houses submerged. Human-caused climate change is supercharging extreme weather across the world, driving more frequent and more deadly disasters from heatwaves to floods to wildfires.