The oceans are heating up, and marine ecosystems are changing
because of it. Long before climate scientists realized the
extent of impacts from carbon dioxide emissions, ocean
scientists were taking simple temperature readings. Now those
readings are off the charts, showing an ocean thrown out of
balance from human-caused climate change. Sea surface
temperatures hit a 150 year high off the U.S. East Coast from
Maine to North Carolina during 2012. These abnormally high
temperatures are fundamentally altering marine ecosystems, from
the abundance of plankton to the movement of fish and whales.
Many marine species have specific time periods for spawning,
migration, and birthing based on temperature signals and
availability of prey. Kevin Friedland, a scientist in NOAA’s
Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Ecosystem Assessment
Program, said “Changes in ocean temperatures and the timing and
strength of spring and fall plankton blooms could affect the
biological clocks of many marine species, which spawn at specif