{"id":31076,"date":"2024-10-19T18:14:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-19T12:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=31076"},"modified":"2024-10-19T18:14:01","modified_gmt":"2024-10-19T12:44:01","slug":"marine-heat-waves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-10-2024\/marine-heat-waves","title":{"rendered":"Marine Heat Waves\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Researchers found that <strong>Marine Heat Waves (MHWs)<\/strong> deep in oceans may be significantly under-reported and caused by ocean currents.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However, they are also <strong>being impacted by global warming.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In recent years, global warming has made MHWs more frequent and intense, but as per the new study this phenomenon is witnessed <strong>well beyond the surface.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Extreme temperature changes in the <strong>temperature of the twilight zone<\/strong> are also a matter of concern, since many fish species and plankton reside here.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The twilight zone of oceans is located <strong>between 200 and 1,000 metres,<\/strong> still has some visibility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Planktons form the base of the oceanic food chain and are a food source for small fish.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are Marine Heat Waves?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It occurs when the surface temperature of a particular region of the <strong>sea rises to 3 or 4 degree Celsius<\/strong> above the average temperature for <strong>at least five days<\/strong>. MHWs can last for weeks, months or even years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They can occur in <strong>summer or winter<\/strong> &#8211; they are defined based on differences with expected temperatures for the location and time of year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d2c9d0\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"751\" height=\"449\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/10\/marine-heatwave-jpg.webp\" alt=\"marine-heatwave\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-31077\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d2c9d0; width:483px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/10\/marine-heatwave-jpg.webp 751w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/10\/marine-heatwave-300x179.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 751px) 100vw, 751px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Causes of MHWs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Climate Change:<\/strong> As atmospheric temperatures rise, ocean temperatures also increase, leading to more frequent and intense heat waves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ocean Currents:<\/strong> Changes in ocean currents influence local temperatures. For example, if warm water is transported to a specific region, it can lead to elevated sea surface temperatures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>El Ni\u00f1o and La Ni\u00f1a Events: <\/strong>These climate phenomena significantly alter ocean temperatures.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>El Ni\u00f1o typically leads to warmer ocean conditions, which can trigger MHWs, while La Ni\u00f1a can have complex effects, sometimes leading to cooler temperatures in certain regions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Local Environmental Changes:<\/strong> Human activities, such as coastal development, pollution, and overfishing, alter local ecosystems and contribute to temperature increases.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impact of Marine Heat Waves<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Deaths of Several Marine Species:<\/strong> MHWs along the Western Australian coast during the summer of 2010 and 2011 caused some \u201cdevastating\u201d fish kills.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Destruction of kelp forests:<\/strong> Kelps usually grow in cooler waters, providing habitat and food for many marine animals. MHWs change the ecosystem of the coast and lead to their destruction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Coral Bleaching: <\/strong>Elevated temperatures stress coral reefs, leading to bleaching and increased mortality rates<strong>.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Species Distribution:<\/strong> Many marine species shift their ranges to cooler waters, affecting local ecosystems and fisheries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Impact on Fisheries: <\/strong>Altered species distributions and health affect fish populations, impacting commercial and recreational fishing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Consequences: <\/strong>The fishing industry, tourism, and coastal economies suffer due to changes in fish availability and declining health of marine ecosystems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Climate Action: <\/strong>Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is crucial.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Transitioning to renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency, can help mitigate climate change and its impacts on marine ecosystems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enhanced Monitoring:<\/strong> Investing in ocean monitoring systems can improve our understanding of MHWs.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Research and Modeling:<\/strong> Supporting research on the causes and consequences of MHWs is vital.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Community Engagement:<\/strong> Involving local communities in conservation and management efforts can foster stewardship of marine resources.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Support for Vulnerable Communities:<\/strong> Providing assistance to communities that rely on marine resources for their livelihoods can help them adapt to changing conditions.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Innovative Solutions:<\/strong> Exploring new technologies and methods, such as aquaculture and seaweed farming, can help mitigate the impacts of MHWs while providing sustainable food sources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-sci-tech\/new-study-ocean-heat-waves-9626685\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers found that Marine Heat Waves (MHWs) deep in oceans may be significantly under-reported and caused by ocean currents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31076"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31078,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31076\/revisions\/31078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}