Climate Change is nothing new and has had many adverse effects on the environment. The world is indisputably changing. Through extensive research and observation, many researchers are coming to the same conclusion: The impact of undermining global warming is more apparent now than it has ever been before.
Back in October 2017, disturbingly high levels of algae accumulation emerged on the coasts of Florida. The algae decimated a large population of surrounding marine life, and many of them washed up on the shores or remained in layers on nearby surface water. This phenomenon is called algae bloom or, for distinctive terms, a Red Tide. Algae blooms turn up when there is a rapid increase in the population of algae in an aquatic system.
From this process alone, the algae buildup requires large amounts of oxygen to maintain their presence. In recent years, however, experts have noted that the algae reproduction materialized at higher rates than ever before, enabling the polyphyletic grouping to consume higher levels of oxygen from water bodies. Without regulated levels of oxygen present in the water, surrounding aquatic and marine life have suffered.
The tide lasted for months at a time and caught thousands of fishes, dead seaweed, and a large quantity of toxic algae — which piled onto the beaches of Florida and caused a putrid smell to waft in the surrounding areas. Fortunately, the tide eventually dissipated following its natural seasonal cycle by late winter. The beaches were fresh for human use and activities once more.
Still, from algae blooms to aquatic threats from thermal elements, global warming set off a chain of environmental crises. In August of 2020, a new problem has revealed itself. As early as August 11th, there have been multiple eye witness reports of thousands of dead fish washing ashore all across lakes and beaches in the Biscayne Bay area and across multiple other beaches in Miami.
There is an inverse relationship between temperature and dissolved oxygen. Scientists within the Wildlife Conservation Society explained that this event was a reaction to the rise in heat levels that led to dangerously low levels of dissolved oxygen, rendering the Bay detrimental to its inhabitants. They have attributed the decreasing solubility in water bodies to the continually rising temperature in the atmosphere.
To combat this newfound aquatic crisis, there have been oxygen pumps installed in hopes of bringing more oxygen to the Biscayne Bay waters. Yet, fishes aren’t the only vital sea creatures being affected by the rise in temperature. Alongside the dead fish sightings, many have seen hundreds of dead birds, manatees, and even dolphins along multiple coast sides across the US in the last month.
Unfortunately, a lack of oxygen alone isn’t causing problems, but a fusion of multiple environmental elements — such as toxic chemical runoff from fertilizer, human littering, and even recent oil spills surrounding the United States, Gulf of Mexico, and Russia.
Global climate change has been made evident for years now from 2018 with the excessive Algae blooms to even as early the 1980s, when ground-based and satellite measurements allowed scientists to realize that Earth’s ozone layer was thinning over Antarctica—which subsequently led to a rapid increase in the glaciers melting which of course led to a rise in sea levels.
Just this year in early January, the world bared witness to another example of Climate Change. With anchor extreme ongoing drought rattling the continent the perfect conditions were set for the fire to wreak havoc. In total, almost 50 million acres were burnt all across Australian states and territories. While in the states, California was experiencing record-breaking highs as hundreds of wildfires in California continue to blaze.
As time passes, it only becomes more evident how much the world is really changing. One thing is certain — global temperatures are on the rise, and hazardous conditions do not appear to be faltering soon in the face of human-induced environmental unsustainability.
