Vast and powerful, the oceans have sustained human life around the world for millennia. They provide food, natural resources, and livelihoods, supporting countless communities and economies. But despite their size and resilience, the oceans are under increasing pressure from climate change and human activity, pushing them toward a dangerous threshold.
According to a new study led by researchers from UC Santa Barbara, the cumulative human impact on the oceans is forecasted to double by 2050, which is just 25 years from now. These impacts include ocean warming, fisheries losses, sea level rise, acidification, and pollution.
The research team, which includes collaborators from Nelson Mandela University in South Africa, found that the tropics and poles will experience the fastest rate of change. And coastal regions, where most human activity takes place, will bear the heaviest consequences of those changes.
The research team calls the findings sobering – not only because the impacts are increasing, but because they’re increasing so quickly.
The study, which was recently published in the journal Science, shows that ocean warming from climate change and reductions in marine biomass from overfishing are expected to be the two largest contributors to future ocean impacts. If ecosystems cannot cope with these pressures, human societies will also feel the consequences.
But the research team stresses that it’s not too late. Stronger climate policies, better fisheries management, and protections for vulnerable habitats like salt marshes and mangroves could help slow or even reduce human impacts.
The research serves as both a warning, and a chance to act before it’s too late.
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Human impact on the ocean will double by 2050, UCSB scientists warn
Photo, posted July 11, 2018, courtesy of Ed Dunens via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
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