What scientists refer to as an unsung hero who has been silently absorbing heat and regulating global temperatures is lying in plain sight and lapping at our coasts. And during the next few days, a team of Canadian scientists wants to convince everyone that the ocean is a key player in the fight against climate change.
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The Ocean Frontier Institute at Dalhousie University will be represented by Anya Waite at the COP27, or 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will begin on Sunday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. They intend to discuss how the deep blue carbon sink affects climate predictions and serves as a buffer.
Waite said most people know that rainforests are the lungs of the planet, keeping temperatures down and filtering the air.
In an interview, she claimed that “yet oceans hold more carbon than all the rainforests on Earth.” “Deep blue carbon, on the other hand, is carbon stored in the deep blue sea. So the open ocean, the high seas, which go down to 4000 meters in depth ? they hold most of the carbon on Earth. And most folks aren’t even aware of that.
She noted that coastal people must be aware of how to adjust to changing conditions, adding that scientists must comprehend the role oceans have played in reducing climate change thus far.
According to Waite, oceans have so far absorbed 90% of the earth’s heat emissions.
She credits oceans for the fact the world has not yet blown through the goals set out in the Paris Agreement, the international climate pact that pledged to limit warming to below two degrees Celsius and curb it to 1. 5 if possible.
However, she warned that when the oceans warm, frozen methane and other greenhouse gases that are dispersed on the sea floor could melt, turning these carbon sinks into emitters.
According to Waite, the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon is gradually dwindling. “However, on top of that, we can observe that there are these? significant or uncommon occurrences that might release carbon quickly. And we really don’t comprehend those.
The significance of typical coastline characteristics like marshes, kelp forests, and sea grass meadows that keep blue carbon embedded in the soil is becoming recognised by scientists and people, she added.
According to Waite, these “blue carbon habitats” promote biodiversity while also reducing emissions. The largest carbon storage, though, are farther offshore, according to her.
She added that variations in ocean temperature also affect water currents and that melting Arctic glaciers cause the ocean to become more freshwater-rich, forcing marine life to either move elsewhere or adapt to their new settings.
For instance, the threatened North Atlantic right whale has relocated from its former habitat in the Gulf of Maine to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
As a result of increased trade in the St. Lawrence, these animals are now coming into contact with ships much more frequently, putting an already vulnerable species in danger of extinction, according to Waite.
Animal behaviour is sometimes altered by changes in ocean circulation and temperature, which occasionally prompt animals to relocate in pursuit of environments that are cosier but ultimately put them in danger.
Canada is uniquely positioned to tap into the ocean’s potential benefits, Waite said, noting the country is surrounded by wide open spaces of water on three sides.
Despite the fact that Canada has the luxury of using the ocean to offset its carbon emissions, she claimed that the problem has so far garnered little attention and funding.
In essence, climate change is a multi-billion dollar issue. And yet, it costs much less to monitor and preserve the oceans, she continued. “Therefore, a tiny investment can have a huge impact on humankind. We have a dilemma because the water is kind of out of sight and out of mind.
The water is sort of out of sight, out of mind, which is the issue we have.
Canadian delegation to discuss oceans’ role in battling climate change at COP27
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