Change in Winds

     A National Geographic article published this week made an interesting observation about the "pause" of climate change. The author, Ben Jervey, examined a study by the Australian research council centre of excellence for climate system science. The study focused on the slightly slowing climate change since 2001. Although the Earth's surface has continued to warm, it has done so much more slowly than in previous years. The study suggests that this pause is due to the increase in wind speeds across the Pacific Ocean. The theory is that when strong winds cross the pacific they carry the warm surface water with them allowing cooler water to come to the surface to be warmed and the warmer water to be pulled into the depths and stored there.
    This is interesting for me because my main focus is the effect of climate change on the ocean. If this study proves to be true, there are major consequences on ocean life. Marine ecosystems are incredibly heat sensitive and a rise in temperature is positively correlated with a rise in the amount of coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is the result of a corals release of it's zooxanthellae (algal pigmentation) in unfavorable conditions. The coral becomes dormant and can no longer supply reef inhabitants with a food source or a colorful refuge.  The question is, how much can the ocean take? If the ocean is absorbing all of the heat, eventually, all the ecosystems will be affected negatively, not to mention the many populations around the world that rely heavily on the ocean for their food source and economy. The warmer the ocean becomes, the higher the oceans rise as ice caps melt. Even though the ocean might be taking the fall for human behavior, it has already directly affected societies in all areas of the globe. In this case, pause is only a synonym for redirection.



    http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140211-global-warming-pause-trade-winds-pacific-science-climate/