Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
and dissipating energy from solar radiation and exchanging heat with the
atmosphere (Danovaro et al. 2011). They are also the main reservoir of heat
and salt and regulate the evaporation and precipitation rates (Danovaro et al.
2011). Moreover, oceans are able to store large quantities of CO
2
(Danovaro
et al. 2011). Since the beginning of the 19th century, the oceans are estimated
to have taken up 50% of fossil fuel emissions and 30% of all anthropogenic
emissions (including those from land-use activities), thereby reducing the
build-up of CO
2
in the atmosphere (Danovaro et al. 2011). The direct and
indirect impacts of the increase of greenhouse gas concentration on the
oceans will include increasing temperatures, acidifi cation, changes in the
density structure of the upper ocean and alteration of vertical mixing of
waters, intensifi cation/weakening of upwelling winds, and changes in the
timing and volume of freshwater runoff into coastal marine waters, among
others (Fig. 1) (Moore et al. 2008).
Zooplanktonic organisms are key components of marine ecosystems
as integral links between primary producers and upper trophic levels.
Zooplankton communities are highly diverse and thus perform a variety
Fig. 1.
Important abiotic changes in the oceans associated with climate change. Human
activities infl uence climate mainly through fossil-fuel, industrial, agricultural, and other
land-use emissions that alter atmospheric composition; CO
2
is particularly important for
the Earth's climate system. The direct and indirect impacts of these increase of greenhouse
gas concentration on the oceans leads to a suite of physical and chemical changes in coastal
ecosystem. See text for details.
