Climate change may be changing colour of Earth’s oceans: Study
New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) Climate change has likely changed the colour of the Earth’s oceans significantly over the past two decades, according to a study.
The research, published recently in the journal Nature, detected changes in ocean colour over the past 20 years that cannot be explained by natural, year-to-year variability alone.
These colour shifts, though subtle to the human eye, have occurred over 56 per cent of the world’s oceans — an expanse that is larger than the total land area on Earth, the researchers said.
The team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US, the National Oceanography Center in the UK and others found that tropical ocean regions near the equator have, in particular, become steadily greener over time.
According to the researchers, the shift in ocean colour indicates that ecosystems within the surface ocean must also be changing, as the colour of the ocean is a literal reflection of the organisms and materials in its waters.
It is not certain how exactly marine ecosystems are changing to reflect the shifting colour, the researchers said, adding, however, human-induced climate change is likely the driver.
