Marine Protected Areas Will Be Extinct Due to Global Warming

We have been destroying our planet, and that includes our oceans and the marine life. Before 2008, there were four large marine protected areas (MPAs). Now there are more than 30. In total, the planet has 8,236 MPAs, where people are not allowed to fish, dig for oil or mine. Scientists forbade human intervention in those places to help marine life recover.

But those protected places are at risk because of the global warming says a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. It will come a time when oceans will change so drastically that marine life won’t be able to adapt and survive.

The study contained two simulations. The first simulation had temperatures increased to 8.5 degrees Celsius by the end of this century. The second one presumed humans will control temperatures and won’t rise more than 4.5 degrees Celsius.

Neither simulation is good, because marine life still suffers.

Oceans will change: the storm will increase and so will sea levels and acidification. Water will get warmer, causing oxygen loss and other changes.

The Conclusion: It’s Devastating!

Ecosystems inside MPAs will be devastated, animals will go extinct, ocean food will change, and it will lose its biodiversity.

Because the majority of the animals that live in MPAs only have small populations and the genetic diversity is low, they will not be able to adapt to the changing weather.

The lead scientist of the study, professor John Bruno (University of North Carolina) says:

“To avoid the worst outcomes, we need to immediately adopt an emission reduction scenario in which emissions peak within the next two decades and then decrease very significantly.”

The MPAs that are at high risk are the Arctic and Antarctic regions, which will warm faster, a disaster for polar bears and penguins. Other areas at high risk are the Wolf and Darwin islands (Northern Galapagos).

Doris’s passion for writing started to take shape in college where she was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. Even though she ended up working in IT for more than 7 years, she’s now back to what he always enjoyed doing. With a true passion for technology, Doris mostly covers tech-related topics.