Introduction to the Ocean & Climate

The ocean drives the climate of the Earth; only in the last 800,000 years has the temperature and carbon dioxide levels of the atmosphere stayed within narrow boundaries, which are the result of the stabilization of our climate due to the system of atmosphere, oceans, and organisms working together that allowed human civilization to develop. Over the last century, the ocean is changing as the climate gets warmer, sea levels rise, and seawater is getting more acidic. Excess heat and carbon has been taken up by the oceans, causing sea levels to rise and provoking extreme weather events. We must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and curtail habitat destruction, or find alternative measures to turn the tide of climate change. 

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