IznMarge Sea Temp Podcast

The main ideas from this information are: - The rising ocean temperatures due to global warming are a major concern. - The greenhouse gas effect, caused by human activities, is trapping heat in the atmosphere and causing the earth to warm up. - The ocean absorbs excess carbon dioxide, leading to ocean acidification. - The ocean is storing a significant amount of heat energy, contributing to sea level rise, ocean heat waves, and coral bleaching. - Rising temperatures are disrupting migration patterns for animals and affecting Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems. - Coastal seas hold 90% of marine organisms and are being affected by rising temperatures, leading to coral bleaching and loss of biodiversity. - Graphs and pictures demonstrate the significant rise in sea temperatures over the past decades. - Steps that individuals can take to help include reducing meat consumption and making sustainable choices. Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of Is and Marge, with your favorites, Iz and Marge. So, today, Margaret, something has kind of been on my mind. Oh, tell me more. I'm just, I'm really worried about the state of our planet, and like, I'm seeing, like, I'm growing up, I'm applying to college, I'm thinking about my family, but what is the world going to look like when it is time for me to have a family? Would it be even a world I want to bring a child into? What's really on your mind, like, what's the driving factor in your head? Honestly, I mean, I loved going to the beach as a kid, as I'm sure many people did, it's a very relatable experience, the water, building sand castles, but thinking about the ocean and how much I love it, I think about the rising ocean temperatures and how that's affecting, like, everything that lives in the sea and out of the sea. You know, this is so interesting. I actually, I just read an article about this last week. Oh, really? Yeah, it came up on my feed, and I was like, this is something that I think is affecting a lot of us, but we don't even realize it, you know? Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, and just, it really is so important, and it affects everyone. Can you tell me some more background information, if you have any, from that article that you read? Yeah, so, what a lot of people don't realize is that the ocean temperature is rising due to global warming, and... Oh, yeah, I've heard of global warming, and I know that the greenhouse gas effect is a really big part in that. Can you explain to me what that is? Yeah, so, that's when the sun's heating the earth. So, like, that heat is naturally trapped in the atmosphere, and it keeps earth at a livable temperature. Oh, that makes sense. But the burning of fossil fuels and, like, coal by mainly humans, or all by humans, puts carbon dioxide into our atmosphere, and it's more than what has been in the past, and so there's no way for the earth to, like, come back from this, because our natural factors aren't reacting to the amount of carbon dioxide that we're producing so quickly. Oh, yeah, because I know that plants and, like, organisms that do photosynthesis, they use carbon dioxide, but I'm sure with the amount of fossil fuels that we're putting in the atmosphere, it's way too much for them to absorb, and so it's just hanging out in our atmosphere, right? Yeah. And that, because that it's stuck in the atmosphere, it's trapping more heat because of, you know, the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and this is what's causing earth to warm up, like, global warming. And the ocean, it's, like, why ocean temperatures are warming is because the ocean absorbs a lot of the excess carbon dioxide in the air, and this increased carbon dioxide, it changes the water, it's making it more acidic. Yeah. Yeah, I heard about this. Ocean acidification is just so bad for so many different organisms in the ocean. I heard that, like, it takes away the calcium layer from the shells, and it just, it makes them really skinny. Yeah, skinny and thin, just like Bella Hadid. Bella Hadid! But you're, you're right, you're right about that, but with back to the rising temperatures, the ocean is storing an estimated 91% of the excess heat energy. That's crazy. I know, 91%, like, in the ocean, in the ocean. And this increased heat content is also contributing to sea level rise, and ocean heat waves, and coral bleaching, and the rising temperatures is disturbing migration patterns for animals, like animals that just, the ocean has been one way, well, not one way, for, like, well, for millions of years, but now that humans have come along, they're having to completely change their way of life. Yeah, I've heard about this. I heard that it's also greatly affecting Arctic creatures a lot, and organisms, because of the melting. I actually went on a trip a couple years ago, and I saw the Hubbard Glacier, and I saw, like, the lines of where it had started and how far back it's gone, and it was absolutely crazy, because it's, like, miles and miles of this glacier have just melted, and it's disrupting so many of these sea creatures' lives. Oh my gosh, I wish that more people, like, could see, like, the tangible results of, like, the real-world effects. Because for some people, it just feels like a faraway problem that they don't have to deal with. But little, like, I also heard that, like, this isn't just, like, global warming, it's going to get worse because of, like, heat stored in the ocean? Yeah, the captain that had brought us there was actually saying, like, every time he comes here, people are seeing more and more of the glacier collapsing, because every time it's warmer and warmer, and so it keeps getting worse and worse every time he goes back. But there's also heat stored in the ocean, and it causes the water to expand, and that's what is responsible for one-third to one-half of the global sea level rising. And so most of the added energy is stored at the surface and at a depth of, like, zero to, like, about 700 meters. And over the last 10 years, the ocean's warmest—was the ocean's warmest decade since the 1800s. And I heard that 2022 was the warmest recorded year and the highest global sea level. That's terrible. That's terrible to think about. And, like, you said, like, the heat stored in the ocean, the heat that is stored in the deep layers, it will eventually be released, which, like, years down the line will give even more, like, warming to the surface and sea level rise. So it's only—it's only getting worse. Only worse from here, guys. Yeah, and, like, going even further on your bit about, like, the Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems feeling, like, the pressure from the rising temperatures, I also know that the coastal seas, which are very, like, a small, small area geographically, but in terms of population, they hold, like, 90 percent of marine organisms. And due to the rising temperatures, like, the coral, like, the microorganisms that are the coral's food, that gives the coral its color, they are being dispelled from the coral due to the rising temperatures. And that is causing the corals to bleach out and starve and die. And then there is no place for all of, like, for there to be this immense diversity that stabilizes the ecosystem. Yeah. Yeah, well, I was reading that article that I was talking about earlier. They had these graphs that were accompanying it, and it was truly crazy to see how much the sea temperatures have risen in the past decade, the past 20 years. Like, all the advancements that humans have been making in the past 20 years has just led to so much devastation in our seas and in the oceans, and it's just crazy to see the outcome of that. Oh, yeah, and you can see on this graph, I mean, especially in the last 20 years, but even from 1960 to 2020, the rise is just exponential. And another important takeaway from this graph, besides, like, the actual information it's giving us, is what it's labeled as. In both of them, it's the temperature anomaly, and this language is very important because it is irregular. It's not supposed to happen. It's something to be studied because it's having a negative impact on the organisms that we share this world with, and it's completely unfair. Yeah, you're totally right. And furthermore, these are just some pictures to highlight on more of a visual aspect how much, like, how significant the temperature rise actually is. And you can see, like, the color demonstrated. Like, even though, like, in this, the red bits look very small, this is miles and miles of sea that things are living in. Yeah, I mean, look at that first picture. The entire left half of the globe is just... No, the entire left half. That's in 2015. That's only a couple years ago. I bet it's only gotten worse since then. Yeah, it's probably so much worse now. And the second picture is specifically highlighting the temperature anomaly on July 31st, 2023. That was this summer, and it was the July, like, fourth weekend, like, earlier that month was, like, the hottest weekend on record. And I remember it was horrible. I was sweating so much. I was so irritable, and it just felt unreal. It was literally global warming. Yeah, that was added on to the, all the forest fires that was happening in Canada at the time. I was up in Vermont that weekend, and it was just absolutely horrible. You can see the effects that it had on the... I was on Lake Champlain, and, like, the bay, it was horrible. And it's affecting not only the water temperature, but it's also affecting, like, how much people are going out. Like, no one was going out, and so it's not only affecting our waters, but it's actually affecting us as people. Yeah, and if people are, like, not going out, that means they're ordering in. That means there's probably going to be more plastic put into the ocean. Mm-hmm. And, like, big traditions, like, we had something called Bay Day, which has always had hundreds of people coming out and participating. There was, like, 15 people because no one wanted to go out under these conditions. And so, like, no one was going swimming in the bay, and it was just horrible for the economy. And now it's time for the part of the Is in Marge podcast where we get down to the nitty-gritty. Oh, yeah. Insert Izzy and I gritting in the audiovisual recording studio. Break dancing. Oh, get it. Okay, so what are some potential steps? What are some potential steps? Yeah, so this is important because this affects all of us, and what can we as one person do to help this? So, do you want to start it off? Of course. I mean, it can seem like an insurmountable task, like, one person doing a little bit of recycling. Like, how could that possibly make a difference? But it honestly does, and you don't even have to recycle. What you can do is lower your meat consumption, even if you're not a big meat eater. The meat industry is contributing a lot to the things that are causing sea level rise. You can buy secondhand clothing. It's all about, like, a stop or, like, a decrease in production. You can purchase energy-efficient appliances. You can even have, like, an energy conservation mindset, turning lights off when you're done, turning off the sink, and you can especially use your own water bottle. Yeah, this has been a big thing for our generation, especially, like, having your own personal water bottle that you're just reusing. Like, people have really learned to customize things like this. Like, reusable water bottles are just a great way to help the environment and the ocean. Yeah, exactly, and it is, like, it's so helpful. Like, it reduces plastic waste, and people think of it as, like, just such a normal part of your life now. And just think, like, if we made sustainable practices as common as just having your own water bottle, it would be so easy. Yeah, think about how much reduced waste there would be. And, like, so much of recycling doesn't actually get recycled, and it goes to landfills. And if you take out all of those plastic water bottles, think about how much reduction there would be. That would be crazy. So, now that we've discussed some local steps that you can take as an individual or as a community, or even, like, as a, like, residential community or a school community, there are also worldwide steps that can be taken. Yeah, the big picture. And because this is, like, a worldwide problem, it is important to know, like, even though things start small, it's important that they get big. So, something that came to me when I was thinking about this was the COP Summit, and that's, like, the climate summit that all of the different nations go to. It's actually called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. No cap. No cap, that's what it's called. But there are a lot of really important decisions that are made there. I know two years ago, there was a moment where they almost stopped, like, coal burning in general, and I believe it was India, and there was, like, some weird stuff that happened with that. But that's where big decisions are made, and that's where we should really focus our resources. And this is important to focus on, because the consequences of not taking action are just catastrophic. Like, it's catastrophic. It would literally be the end of the world. Like, I just think about this accelerating with no steps taken to prevent it, and I just think of everything dying. Yeah, a lot of people don't realize how much good marine and ocean life does for our world and our environment, and really, without them, we wouldn't be able to exist. Like, we would cease to exist. That's why this is so important. It's so important. It's crazy to think, if people aren't taking these steps to protect our oceans and protect our marine life, that we won't have anything left to protect. No, exactly. And in Sylvia Earle's book, she talks about investing in ocean technology and how much we have invested in exploring the sky and exploring space when we can just focus on what's, like, right in front of our faces, right here on our planet. Yeah, and we saw on that aquarium trip how important it is for the temperature in the tanks to be regulated in order for the organisms within to survive. No, I love that field trip so much, the ZIA Aquarium. It was so informational and so cool. They really have, like, a really cool—I'm just repeating cool, but it was really awesome what we got to learn. And when we went behind the scenes, we saw how much salt it takes and how frequently they switch it out to make sure the equilibrium and pH of the water is all right for the fish. And the organisms that they have there, they live in all sorts of different climates. They have different water needs. It's a big job, and it just shows, like, what they are doing, like, manually, is what is being disturbed out in nature. Yeah, and, like, seeing how precise everything has to be and knowing how much us as humans or we as humans is disrupting that, it is mind-blowing to me that there haven't been worse consequences yet. The rising ocean temperatures, it's no joke. And I really believe that this, like, if you look at the facts, anyone would be persuaded to take action. Yeah, and it's happening so quickly that there's no way for these organisms to evolve away around this. Like, this is happening so fast, and the consequences are just so tremendous that there's nothing that these organisms can do to help themselves. We have to help them, because we started this problem. We have to end it. Yeah, it's creating a complete ground of unpredictability, like, organisms that never have interacted are interacting, and it's just, it's unexplored ground, and we need to do something about it. Yeah. Thank you for listening to the Is of Arts podcast. We had a really good time.