Ocean Heat Waves Are Directly Linked to Climate Change

 Huge parts of the Pacific Ocean warmed up quickly around our West Coast and other parts of North America.  It would have felt like a heat wave in the ocean in the middle of the summer.  There have been a lot of short ones over the past few years but there have been ones that have lasted longer.  Scientists believe climate change is the cause of the heating oceans.  Some of these events would have been possible without human-caused warming, but there is human-caused warming which makes the odds of this kind of warming happening 10%.  As emissions of greenhouse gasses continue, global temperatures will be 5 degrees warmer leaving the oceans in extreme heat.  This could be permanent because the oceans absorb most of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gasses.  Adding this heat to the ocean can cause problems for marine life including causing toxic algae to bloom, which fish eat, causing them to die.  Animals that are food for other animals will die off or migrate because of the new conditions.  This can also effect humans by changing weather patterns.  This has already happened in California, causing terrible drought.  Warm water also strengthens hurricanes, so hurricanes will be worse as the climate change continues.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/24/climate/ocean-heat-waves-blob.html?searchResultPosition=2

I think this is interesting because of how much it can effect living organisms.  It can effect many marine organisms along with humans as well.  I know the ocean takes up a big part of the Earth, but I didn't realize how much of a major effect the ocean can have on the rest of the world.  I learned it can cause huge storms and hot weather, which will be worse as climate change gets worse.  I also thought it was interesting because I have learned previously that organisms can adapt to changing environment.  But because the change in temperature was so quick, the organisms really don't have time to adapt to the new changes.