Our Oceans Are Hottest They Have Ever Been, And Soon Going To Get Worse Says UN Climate Report

We may be land-dwelling creatures, but the oceans of our planet are just as important to our survival.

After all, Earth is three-quarters water, so we really should be taking more care of it. Unfortunately, the UN's latest report indicates we might already be too late.

IPCC

On Wednesday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest report on the state of the oceans and the cryosphere, the ice covering parts of our land masses and sea bodies. And among the findings is the stark reality that climate change caused by humans has forced drastic changes across our planet.

We're seeing the adverse effects of our polluting ways everywhere from the ice on the tops of mountains to the water in the depths of Earth's deepest places. The report says those changes will continue, and even accelerate if we continue down our current path. And whether we're able to slow down that process, or ideally reverse it, depends on how quickly and effectively we can cut down on our carbon pollution.

"This report is unique because for the first time ever, the IPCC has produced an in-depth report examining the furthest corners of the Earth from the highest mountains and remote polar regions to the deepest oceans," said Ko Barrett, the deputy assistant administrator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "We have found that even, and especially in these places, human-caused climate change is evident."

1. Seas will rise and cities will drown

Firstly, the report indicates that our current warming trajectory will cause sea levels to continue rising for the next few centuries. Even if we can collectively stop Earth's warming at 1.5-degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels (which doesn't look likely based on the current scenario) sea levels will rise between one and two feet by 2100.

And if we don't manage to cut back our pollution, the Earth will get hotter and sea levels will rise between 2.5 to over 3.5 feet. That will effectively put a large chunk of low-lying coastal areas under water. And believe it or not, this is the UN's conservative estimate

NASA

2. Storms are only going to get worse

Because of global warming, the top layers of the oceans are getting hotter faster than they can cycle that heat to the colder layers underneath. One effect of this is that there is a disruption in the cycle of oxidation and nutrients in the water, so the upper layers of the oceans are getting acidic and oxygen-deprived. A worse effect is that it's making storms much fiercer.

Tropical cyclones and hurricanes feed off warm ocean waters. So right now, these devastating winds are getting stronger, and sucking up more evaporated water as well. So in India for instance, cyclones will not only regularly have gale-force winds, they'll also flood us a lot faster.

3. The ice is getting thinner

Our cryosphere is steadily losing mass, both on mountaintops and in the polar regions. Every continent except for Australia has glaciers, and the report shows all of them are shrinking. Mountain ice is usually fairly stable, though there is some melting in summer months. This is what typically provides settlements in the region with precious runoff to serve their water needs. But now it's melting year round, adding to the sea level rise, and depriving people and animals in mountainous terrain of a precious resource.

And as for the polar ice caps, that means animals specific to those regions are losing their habitat, and in some cases hunting grounds, like the polar bears. We're steadily wiping out a number of creatures, while those melted icebergs are also messing with ocean currents. And according to the report, even if we stabilize the climate at 1.5 degrees Celsius, the Arctic will continue to thin.

National Geographic/YouTube

The planet has already warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius since the late 19th century. Which means we're 0.4 degrees away from the tipping point.