Evolution and Climate Change in the Oceans
Basic Chemistry:
Oxygen solubility in water is affected by temperature. The lower the temperature, the higher the solubility. At 0 degrees Celsius, a liter of water can hold 10 mL of dissolved oxygen. At 25 degrees Celsius, a liter can only hold 4 mL of oxygen.(Adam)
So what does that mean for us?
As the Earth's climate warms and average water temperature rises, solubility of oxygen in the ocean will decrease. The average surface water temperature is expected to rise 2 degrees during the next 100 years due to human emissions. To put this into perspective, during the end of the last ice age, the average surface water temperature rose 2 degrees over the span of 10,000 years. To find out more about past oxygen levels, see this page
What are some effects of the rising ocean temperature?
Without sufficient oxygen, most organisms struggle to survive. As temperature increases, the metabolism of organisms speed up, requiring more oxygen. However, as we know, available oxygen decreases as temperature increases. This is observed in eelpouts, whose mortality rates are directly related to temperature and available oxygen.
Many marine organisms are already living very close to their thermal limitation regions, as seen by Dosidicus gigas. Creatures like this have limited options at their disposal if and when temperature in their habitat rises.
/groups/evolution3000/search/index.rss?sort=modifiedDate&sortDirection=reverse&tag=adaptationlist/groups/evolution3000/search/?sort=modifiedDate&sortDirection=reverse&tag=adaptationAdaptationCustomTagSidebarCustomTagSidebar?sort=modifiedDate&sortDirection=reverse&tag=adaptation0/groups/evolution3000/sidebar/CustomTagSidebarmodifiedDate5CustomTagSidebarreverseadaptationAdaptationcustom/groups/evolution3000/search/index.rss?tag=hotlist/groups/evolution3000/search/?tag=hotWhat’s HotHotListHot!?tag=hot1/groups/evolution3000/sidebar/HotListdheubel5dheubel52012-11-14 16:36:03+00:002012-11-14 16:36:03updated5dheubel5dheubel52012-11-09 16:46:53+00:002012-11-09 16:46:53updated4Added tag - hotdheubel5dheubel52012-11-09 16:46:49+00:002012-11-09 16:46:49addTag3I thought this might be helpful in reading through everything. Let me know if you guys like it!dheubel5dheubel52012-11-09 16:46:24+00:002012-11-09 16:46:24updated2First createddheubel5dheubel52012-11-09 16:31:49+00:002012-11-09 16:31:49created1wiki2012-11-14T16:36:03+00:00groups/evolution3000/wiki/de98eFalseTable of Contents/groups/evolution3000/wiki/de98e/Table_of_Contents.htmldheubel55 updatesTable of Contents
Climate Change
Effects of Climate Change in the Environment
Oxygen Levels
Effects o...Falsedheubel52012-11-14T16:36:03+00:00hot/groups/evolution3000/search/index.rss?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcomelist/groups/evolution3000/search/?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcomeRecent ChangesRecentChangesListUpdates?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcome0/groups/evolution3000/sidebar/RecentChangesListmodifiedDateallRecent ChangesRecentChangesListUpdateswiki/welcomeNo recent changes.reverse5search
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