All world's oceans to be impacted by climate change by 2100

Climate change will impact the deepest reaches of the world's oceans and its marine habitats by 2100, with consequences for humans, U.S. researchers say. Scientists say no corner of the globe's oceans will remain untouched by climate change by the end of the century. "When you look at the world oceans, there are few places that will be free of changes; most will suffer the simultaneous effects of warming, acidification, and reductions in oxygen and productivity," University of Hawaii geography Professor Camilo Mora, lead author of the study, said. "The consequences of these co-occurring changes are massive -- everything from species survival, to abundance, to range size, to body size, to species richness, to ecosystem functioning are affected by changes in ocean biogeochemistry." "The consequences of these co-occurring changes are massive -- everything from species survival, to abundance, to range size, to body size, to species richness, to ecosystem functioning are affected by changes in ocean biogeochemistry," he said. The impacts for humans will be dramatic, the researchers said, noting some 470 to 870 million of the world's poorest people rely on the ocean for food, jobs, and revenues, and live in countries where ocean goods and services could be compromised by multiple ocean biogeochemical changes. "Other studies have looked at small-scale impacts, but this is the first time that we've been able to look the entire world ocean and how co-occurring stressors will differentially impact the earth's diverse habitats and people," study co-author Andrew Thurber, a postdoctoral fellow at Oregon State University, said.