Francis was a boy who lived in West Virginia. His whole life, he lived in the landlocked state. Overtime, he realized that the winters seemed to be shorter and every year, the summers seemed to be more mild than usual. To ease his mind, Francis decided to take a vacation to the beach!

On the way to the beach, Francis listened to a podcast about the ocean. The hosts discussed the important functions of the ocean, especially how it is all interconnected. However, they seemed very worried about Climate Change, saying that it was damaging the ocean in a number of ways.

One Ocean

Tides

Francis finally arrived at the beach. He was shocked to see the water level low. He could see marks in the sand where water had been before. What was happening? After asking a local, he learned that it was currently low tide. As he returned to the beach, he heard a few locals talking about how the high tides are beginning to become much higher due to climate change causing the sea level to rise.

Offshore Drilling

As the sun began to set, Francis decided to take a walk down the beach. As he looked across the horizon, he saw the outline of an offshore drilling platform. These sites aim to drill deep beneath the ocean's surface to access oil deposits.

These oil sites could be considered a main source of climate change, as the oil they obtain is used across the world to burn, creating greenhouses gasses to contribute to the earth's changing climate.

Tsunamis

After getting some dinner, Francis went to his hotel and watched some TV. The news was playing a special report on Tsunamis. Tsunamis occur when an earthquake in the ocean causes a massive surge of energy to rise vertically through the water, and the energy is spread out in a massive wave emanating from it's initial point. Scientists on the news said that climate change is causing more intense and unpredictable storms, which in some cases can be enough to trigger an earthquake or tsunami!

Red Tides

The next morning, Francis woke up to see that the beach's water had turned red! Shocked, he ran out the hotel and went to the beach. A police officer told him not to enter the water, because it was a red tide

Red tides occur when nutrients from runoff enter areas where algae live. These algae rapidly feed on the massive influx of nutrients, and cause massive blooms. Unable to sustain themselves, they quickly die and give the water a red color. Bacteria decompose them, depriving the water of oxygen. Red tides are expected to increase in frequency and intensity as climate change continues to create warmer oceans. In addition, major contributors to climate change can also be creating runoff that directly causes red tides.

Hurricanes

After leaving the beach, Francis checked his phone. A new hurricane had been spotted forming and was expected to make landfall at the beach in a few days. Reluctant to give up his vacation, he decided to leave and go to another beach.

Hurricanes are massive storms that form out in the tropical regions of the ocean. The chaotic atmospheric activity caused by climate change can cause a massive increase in the intensity and frequency of future hurricanes.

Ocean Warming

As Francis arrived at the new beach, he found that it was crowded with protesters carrying signs. They read: "Stop Coral Bleaching! End Ocean Warming!" He asked some of the protesters what they meant.

Ocean warming is a direct consequence of climate change. As the atmosphere continues to heat up, the surface of the ocean also begins to warm up. This has many ecological impacts, such as the death of coral reefs.

Ocean Currents

Interested to learn more about climate change's impact on the ocean, Francis discovered that the ocean's warming can also affect the "global conveyor belt" of water currents that flow throughout the world's ocean basins. As water begins to heat up, ocean currents are disrupted and the natural cycle of exchanging cold and warm water is disrupted.

Ocean Acidification

Francis also learned about a process called Ocean Acidificaiton. As greenhouse gasses continue to enter the atmosphere, causing climate change, they also dissolve into the ocean, forming Carbonic acid. This acidification of ocean water actively damages the ocean's ecosystems, as many animals, such as crustaceans, rely on shells that can survive in the ocean's slightly basic waters.

Dead Zones

After reading the news, Francis found that the beach he visited before is within a region called a "Dead Zone." Dead Zones are areas similar to red tides, but typically affect entire ecosystems rather than a small area for a short period. Dead Zones are caused by a massive influx of nutrients introduced via human runoff, particularly fertilizers, causing a boom in organic life, such as algae. This causes hypoxia, which saps the water of oxygen, leading to the "suffocation" of all fish in the area. Sources of climate change, such as industrial plants, create the runoff that fuels dead zones.

Overfishing

Francis decided to investigate the wildlife in the nearby waters. He managed to get aboard a fishing boat and discovered an eerie sight. The fish nets that the fishers had used only had a few fish in them. After talking to the sailors and fishermen, he learned that climate change is responsible many factors that reduce the density of marine life. Factors such as ocean warming cause many marine habitats to be destroyed.