Global Warming Might Cause the Extinction of Seaweed

Thomas Wernberg of the University of Western Australia reached the conclusion that seaweed are threatened by climate change. In his opinion, throughout the last decades the “trees of the ocean” that provide food to the entire ocean wildlife tried to adapt to the global warming phenomenon.

It seems to be more and more difficult for seaweed to cope with the increasing temperatures, and so they might migrate towards southern region, where they will find cooler waters to respond to their needs.

Wernberg started observing this phenomenon a long time ago and he reached the conclusion that, over the past 50 years, the continuous warming of the water surfaces made the seaweed struggle to survive.

The temperatures continue to rise, growing by 0.007 degrees Fahrenheit (0.013 degrees Celsius) in the Indian Ocean, and by 0.013 degrees F (0.023 degrees C) warming if we take into consideration the Pacific side.

Using the data provided so far by studies in this field of activity, the scientists forecast that waters will become even warmer habitats, increasing their temperatures by 1.8 degrees F (1.0 degrees C) by 2030 and 5.2 degrees F (3 degrees C) by 2070.

If seaweeds will go extinct, the entire ecosystem will face irreparable damage, taking into consideration that their presence supports the food chain's security.

If the situation is difficult enough for marine creatures at this point in time, experts warn that such a path can generate the potential loss of up to 350 species, approximately a quarter of the entire Australian ocean wildlife, in the next 60 years.

"By extending the observed rates of poleward retreat to other species in the southern Australian seaweed flora, we estimated that projected ocean warming could lead to several hundred species retracting south and beyond the edge of the Australian continent, where they will have no suitable habitat and may therefore go extinct," concluded Wernberg.