This document discusses ocean warming and its effects on marine physiology. It defines ocean warming as the increase in ocean temperature due to greenhouse gas emissions trapping more heat. Scientists measure ocean warming using sensors on Argo floats that track temperature, salinity, and depth over time. Ocean warming reduces dissolved oxygen levels and affects marine species through hypercapnia, which is increased carbon dioxide in the blood. This stresses physiology and can impact reproduction. Long-term, ocean warming threatens marine biodiversity and ecosystem function.

1. Prepared by: Rosa Sáez Uribe
Class: Coastal Environments (CIAM 6117) – Prof: Dr. Loretta Roberson
University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus – Department of Environmental Sciences

2. Introduction
1. What is ocean warming?
a. Definition
b. Methods to measure the ocean heat
2. Some general effects of ocean warming
3. What is marine physiology?
4. Effects of ocean warming in marine physiology
a. Hypercapnia
4. Discussion

3. What is ocean warming?
• Ocean warming is the increase of temperature in ocean water. This
increase in ocean temperature can change the normal conditions of
it, having adverse consequences as loss of dissolved oxygen (DO),
forced migration of species, species invasions, increased costs of
metabolism, coral bleaching, diseases, harm to wetlands, etc.
• The ocean warming is strongly related with the warming of the
atmosphere and hence to global warming.

4. What is ocean warming?
• “The oceans cover 70% of the earth’s surface. Due to their large
volume and the ability of seawater to buffer CO2, oceans have
absorbed approximately half of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions to
the atmosphere, which amounts to more than 120 Gt C in total or 440
Gt CO2 (Sabine et al. 2004) within the last 200 yr.” (in Pörtner, 2008).

5. Ocean warming
• Because the ocean has a great capacity to retain heat, the ocean can
absorb the radiation and heat from the atmosphere. This helps to
cool down the atmosphere temperature.
• However, green house gases (GHG’s) are continually been released to
the atmosphere, trapping more radiation than we need, causing the
increase of the global temperature and therefore the increase of
ocean water temperature.

6. Ocean warming
Oceans and Aerosols

7. Ocean warming
• Scientist have been studied ocean warming since the beginning of
1940’s.
• “While they use ocean temperature readings taken from around the
globe to conduct their studies on ocean warming, these scientists are
interested in learning about the heat content of the world ocean’s
enormous mass of water”(NOAA).
• “Beginning in the 1970s, scientists at NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid
Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey, started computing the
annual cycle of ocean heat content” (NOAA).

8. Ocean warming
• The north hemisphere is warmer than the south hemisphere because
there is more land in the north part of Earth.
• As land has a low capacity to retain heat, the heat is released to the
atmosphere and then the oceans absorb this heat. Moreover,
because of the geomorphology of the northern lands, the rate at the
water cool down at north hemisphere is lower than in south
hemisphere.
• Also there are sinks of heat in Artic.

9. http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/legacy/oceans_north_legacy/private_images/imagedb/ACIA_ocean_circulation.jpg?la=en

10. http://blog.cleveland.com/nationworld_impact/2009/08/large_WARM_OCEANS.jpg

12. https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/service/global/map-percentile-mntp/201501.gif

13. “The Gulf Stream Explained” (video)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuGrBhK2c7U

14. Which methods are used to measure the
ocean warming?
• To monitor the ocean temperature, scientists use sensors know as Argo
Profiling Floats.
• This instruments not only measure the ocean temperature, but also salinity
and depth profiles.
• “Combined with satellite observations, the information gathered by Argo
floats allows ocean scientists and the public at large to better understand
ocean dynamics and forecast global climate. Over fifty nations worldwide
participate in the program. The U.S. component is implemented by NOAA”
(NOAA).

15. Which methods are used to measure the
ocean warming?
http://www.oco.noaa.gov/_images/Photos/Argo_Photos_400x300.png

16. http://www.oco.noaa.gov/_images/Graphics/Argo_Schematic_New_400x417.png

17. http://ber.parawag.net/images/float_distribution_200304.jpg

18. http://opensailing.net/download/20100110Argo_Float_Network3.png

19. http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2011/images/argofloats_may2011.jpg

20. Ocean warming…

24. Ocean warming
• One important component for marine life is the dissolved oxygen
(DO) and plays an important role in marine physiology.
• Physiology – “the branch of Biology dealing with the functions and
activities of living organisms and their parts, including all physical and
chemical processes”.
• Marine physiology – the study of the ocean organisms physiology.

25. What is marine physiology?
• “The solubility of oxygen decreases as water temperature increases”
(RAMP).
• “Changes in water temperature may act as a signal for aquatic insects
to emerge or for fish to spawn” (RAMP).
• For marine life, DO concentrations determine where they live and
how they live using DO for many of their physiological processes
(example: metabolism, cellular respiration, breeding, growth).

26. Dissolved oxygen loss…
• Loss of dissolved oxygen lead to hypoxia in aquatic environments and
in many occasions lead to hypercapnia.
• Hypoxia – “diminished availability of oxygen to the body tissues”.
• Hypercapnia – “an increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the
blood. Also called hypercarbia”.

27. Hypoxia…
http://www.riclimatechange.org/graphi
cs/Hypoxia_Diagram_EPA-small.jpg

28. https://nofishleft.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/coastal-dead-zones.jpg

29. Gases exchange…

33. Hypercapnia symptoms…

34. CO2 intoxication…
https://bigmouth8.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/595px-
main_symptoms_of_carbon_dioxide_toxicity_svg.png

35. Hypercapnia effects on some marine organisms
reproduction…
• “Hypercapnia narcotizes sperm and is used in vivo to maintain sperm in
a quiescent state and preserve energy stores” (Byrne, 2011).
• “The mechanisms underlying the effects of hypercapnia on sperm are
well understood and involve control of intracellular pH (pHi) by CO2.
Hypercapnia reduces sperm swimming speed, so it is suggested that
ocean acidification may impair fertilization” (Havenhand et al. 2008,
Morita et al. 2010) in Byrne, 2011.
• “Nature, however, release of sperm into the water column overcomes
hypercapnic effects due to the respiratory dilution effects (increased
oxygen tension) of seawater” (Chia & Bickell 1983) in Byrne 2011.

36. Hypercapnia effects on some marine organisms
reproduction…
• “This is not the case for a sea cucumber and a coral (Morita et al.
2006, 2009). Egg-derived compounds promote sperm motility at low
pH, a response reported for many species of corals, molluscs,
echinoderms and ascidians and is triggered by a cGMP (cyclic
guanosine monophosphate) cascade” (Byrne, 2011).

40. Ocean warming really affects the
marine physiology, but not only that…

41. “Recovery from ocean warming can take
thousands o years” (video)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHvxbN0VHak

42. Some guide questions for the discussion…
• Can we really minimize the ocean warming? If it could be possible,
how can we do it?
• What do you think that countries that are producing more CO2
deserve to be punished by the rest of the world?
• Do you think that there are practices of management to reduce CO2
emissions in Puerto Rico?
• Not including your respiration, what can you do as an individual to
reduce your own CO2 emission directly or indirectly?
• Do you think is important to preserve all species or you agreed with
Darwinist thinking (only stronger species survive)?

43. References
• Byrne, M. (2011). Impact of ocean warming and ocean acidification on marine
invertebrate life history stages : Vulnerabilities and potential for persistence in a
changing ocean. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review, 49. 1-42.
Retrived from http://oceanacidification.msi.ucsb.edu/workshops/reading-
resources/Byrne%20OMBAR%202011.pdf
• Pörtner, H. (2008). Ecosystem effects of ocean acidification in times of ocean warming:
a physiologist’s view. Mar Ecol Prog Ser, 373. 203–217. Retrived from www.int-res.com.
• Levitus, S., Antonov J., Boyer T., Stephens C. (2000). Warming of the World Ocean.
Science, 287. 2225-2229.
• Brooker, R. Widmaier, E., Graham, L., & Stiling, P. (2008). Respiratory Systems. In
Biology (Second ed., p. 1001, 1004, 1005, 1017, 1018). New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill
Companies.

44. References
• Speech from Dr. John Marshall. The Oceans in a Warming World. January 21, 2015 in
Palo Alto, California. Retrived from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzUy2rGXmGc
• Warming of the World Ocean (NOAA 200th Top Tens: Breakthroughs:)
http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/breakthroughs/warming_ocean/welcome.html#int
erest
• Global ocean heat and salt content (Global ocean heat and salt content)
http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/OC5/3M_HEAT_CONTENT/
• Global Warming Effects on Salt Water Species (Global Warming Effects on Salt Water
Species) http://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-effects/salt-water-species.html
• NOAA Ocean Climate Observation Program - Argo Profiling Floats (NOAA Ocean Climate
Observation Program - Argo Profiling Floats)
http://www.oco.noaa.gov/argoProfilingFloats.html

45. References
• Physiology (Dictionary.com)
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/physiology?&o=100074&s=t
• Hypoxia (TheFreeDictionary.com)
http://medicaldictionary.thefreedictionary.com/hypoxia
• Hypercapnia (TheFreeDictionary.com)
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/hypercapnia
• Water Quality Indicators: Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen (Regional Aquatics
Monitoring Program)
http://www.rampalberta.org/river/water+sediment+quality/chemical/temperature+and
+dissolved+oxygen.aspx
• Mudpuppy image
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140125180733/trollpasta/images/7/7b/I_AM_A_
MUDPUPPY_OMG.jpg