Beyond global warming: Stressed oceans, globe-wide in the Anthropocene

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.11.16830

Keywords:

Anthropocene, warming, acidification, deoxygenation, global change

Abstract

The footprint of human activities on the planet is so profound that many scientists are already suggesting that we have entered a new geological era, the Anthropocene. From among these activities, those that are accompanied by large emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) affect our entire planet and, especially, the oceans. Besides becoming warmer, the oceans are also growing progressively more acidic and less oxygenated. In this article we discuss the extent of these global stresses on the oceans after contextualising the disproportionate anthropogenic increase in CO2 and examining how it is distributed. We conclude with a discussion of mitigation possibilities that use the oceans themselves, stressing the urgent need to tackle the problem, especially during this present decade.

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Author Biographies

Carles Pelejero, Institute of Marine Sciences of Barcelona (ICM-CSIC) (Spain).

ICREA Research Professor at the Institute of Marine Sciences of Barcelona (ICM-CSIC) (Spain). He is the coordinator of the Catalan Government’s Marine Biogeochemistry and Global Change research group and a member of the Group of Experts on Climate Change of Catalonia. His research, which covers disciplines such as paleo-climatology, paleo-oceanography, and marine chemistry, focuses on understanding and quantifying changes in climate and the marine environment, both now and in the past.

Eva Calvo, Institute of Marine Sciences of Barcelona (ICM-CSIC) (Spain).

Senior scientist at the Institute of Marine Sciences of Barcelona (ICM-CSIC) (Spain) and member of the Catalan Government’s Marine Biogeochemistry and Global Change research group. Her research includes the study of past climates and the relationship with atmospheric CO 2 variations and their impact on marine ecosystems, as well as the response and influence of the oceans on climate variability.

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Published

2021-01-21

How to Cite

Pelejero, C., & Calvo, E. (2021). Beyond global warming: Stressed oceans, globe-wide in the Anthropocene. Metode Science Studies Journal, (11), 165–171. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.11.16830
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Science's structures (2021)

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Oceans. The impact of global change on the sea

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