Because global warming, as we’ve observed once again this summer, continues to intensify… Does it have an impact on the ocean, and in what forms? How does it manifest in the ocean? Marina Levy, an oceanographer at CNRS and IRD, is the guest on Chroniques Littorales…
2025 will be the Year of the Oceans, a priority set by President Macron, as France is the world’s second-largest maritime power. For a long time now, this program has been highlighting the ocean, which is suffering.
The ocean protects us from climate change.
Marina Levy: « One important point is that the ocean protects us from climate change. There are two figures that scientists often highlight. The first is that the ocean has absorbed 90% of the excess heat generated by global warming. Additionally, the ocean has absorbed roughly a quarter of the CO2 emissions produced by humans since the beginning of the industrial era, which are responsible for climate change. Without the ocean, climate change would be progressing even faster than it is today. The ocean slows climate change. However, by doing this, it pays the price. On the one hand, the ocean is warming; it’s getting increasingly hotter, and on the other hand, it’s acidifying as it absorbs CO2. It’s like a human body. What the ocean is currently enduring is akin to a fever—a fever that leads to increasingly frequent heatwaves, known as marine heatwaves. There was one in the Mediterranean in 2022 that was catastrophic, killing 90% of marine life in certain areas. We can also talk about acidification as a kind of gastric crisis, with the ocean losing oxygen levels; the warmer the ocean, the more oxygen it loses. As a result, we’re observing fish suffocating in certain regions. Another concerning phenomenon is the slowing of certain currents, which is also linked to the ocean becoming warmer, making it much harder to mix deep waters. So, while the ocean does protect us, as it becomes more impaired, its ability to protect us becomes less effective. »
Source: Radio France
