Earth’s oceans are changing colour due to climate change

INA – SOURCES 
 
Strange changes to the colour of the ocean have spurred investigations from scientists.
 
Satellite data shows that over the last 20 years, colour shifts from blue to green have occurred over 56 per cent of the world’s oceans. The changes are particularly evident in tropical regions near the equator.
 
Researchers say that this subtle greening of our oceans points to the effect that climate change is having on life under the water.
 
Nasa’s Modis-Aqua satellite picked up on a gradual shift from blue to predominantly green hues in over half of the world’s oceans. The area that has changed colour is greater than the entirety of the land on Earth.
 
BB Cael at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, UK, and his colleagues analysed the data from NASA and believe the green colouring is a sign of ecosystems changing due to climate change.
 
A change in the colour of the ocean could reflect a change in the state of its ecosystems, according to the study’s authors. Deep blue indicates less life while greener hues indicate more activity from phytoplankton.
 
It paints a picture of what is going on in the surface layers of the water. But, the colour of the ocean can change from year to year with chlorophyll levels at the surface varying wildly. It makes it difficult to differentiate whether the shift from blue to green is being affected by climate change.