Global warming: By 2100, oceans would become greener and bluer

Global warming is on the rise and countries all around the world are trying to figure out ways to tackle this problem. Water pollution is one of the prime factors that is not only contaminating the ocean but also affecting the marine life. Scientists have predicted that if this continues, ocean colours would change by the end of the century.

A new study published in Nature Communications by researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests that climate change will sooner or later have an impact on one such marine organism called phytoplankton.

Phytoplanktons are tiny organisms that convert sunlight into chemical energy through photosynthesis. They play a crucial role in sustaining the food chain under water. The research states that by 2100, more than half of the world’s ocean will change colours. The greens and blues of the sea will become greener and bluer. The report stated so through a simulation model on the growth and interaction of different species of phytoplankton, or algae and how due to the rise in temperatures globally, the mix of these species would change. 

The study further suggests that the blue regions would become bluer indicating less phytoplankton and life in those parts of the ocean whereas areas where the colour of the ocean is green, may get even deeper green as rising temperatures would facilitate more growth of different species of phytoplankton.

Dr Anna Hickman, the co-author of the research from the school of the ocean and earth science at the University of Southampton, stated, "In the same way that plants on land are green, phytoplankton are green as well, so the amount and different types of phytoplankton affect the colour of the ocean surface."

Stephanie Dutkiewicz, the study's lead author, stated that the subtle shifts in the changing colour of the ocean are an early warning sign. "Everything in the ocean requires phytoplankton to exist. The impact will be felt all the way up the food chain", she said stating the importance of phytoplankton as it is the base of the marine food web.

The researchers predicted that the global temperature will rise by 3 degrees Celsius till 2100. Hickman stated the use of satellites will help monitor the changing colour of the ocean which would further help examine specific changes in the population of different species of phytoplankton. Last month, a study on the oceans revealed that they were the warmest on record in 2018, and temperatures were rising much faster than estimated.