Temperature and the Ocean

• The ocean temperature fluctuates seasonally due to movements of the sun.
• The seasonal fluctuations can sometimes be more extreme due to trade winds moving the heat/energy differently.
• This is called an El Nino or a La Nina (depending on the type of fluctuations)
• he European Geosciences Union published a study in April 2016 that examined the impact of a 1.5 degree Celsius vs. a 2.0 C temperature increase (or a third increase).
• Heat waves would last around a third longer
• rain storms would be about a third more intense
• the increase in sea level would be approximately that much higher
• At 1.5 C, the study found that tropical coral reefs stand a chance of adapting and reversing a portion of their die-off in the last half of the century. But at 2 C, the chance of recovery vanishes.