another three degrees in the next 100 years if emissions - caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels like oil and gas - continued at current rates.
Marine life already was threatened by a number of human activities, the report pointed out. Overfishing had resulted in the collapse of major fisheries, and destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling had devastated the habitat of the sea floor.
Coastal development and other activities that resulted in the pollution of coastal waters had converted whole ares of the oceans into so-called "dead zones," while the invasion of alien species, often carried in ships' ballast water to distant habitats, has wiped out many native marine species around the world.
"Global climate change is an additional stress on already stressed species and ecosystems, and may be the 'straw that breaks the camel's back' for many types of marine life," according to the 47-page report.
The increasingly frequent appearance of the El Nino weather phenomenon during the past 20 years provided a glimpse into the impact that can be expected from long-term global warming, the report said.
El Nino results from changes in atmospheric pressure in the Pacific Ocean and is associated with higher sea surface temperatures and sea levels, lower nutrients, and increased intensity of storms and storm surges.
Recent El Ninos have proved lethal to marine life, with the death of up to 98% of coral reefs in some regions. El Nino also has wreaked havoc in stocks of sardines and anchovies in Perua, marine iguanas and kelp forests off California and some species of seals, sea lions and seabirds.
another three degrees in the next 100 years if emissions - caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels like oil and gas - continued at current rates.
Marine life already was threatened by a number of human activities, the report pointed out. Overfishing had resulted in the collapse of major fisheries, and destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling had devastated the habitat of the sea floor.
Coastal development and other activities that resulted in the pollution of coastal waters had converted whole ares of the oceans into so-called "dead zones," while the invasion of alien species, often carried in ships' ballast water to distant habitats, has wiped out many native marine species around the world.
"Global climate change is an additional stress on already stressed species and ecosystems, and may be the 'straw that breaks the camel's back' for many types of marine life," according to the 47-page report.
The increasingly frequent appearance of the El Nino weather phenomenon during the past 20 years provided a glimpse into the impact that can be expected from long-term global warming, the report said.
El Nino results from changes in atmospheric pressure in the Pacific Ocean and is associated with higher sea surface temperatures and sea levels, lower nutrients, and increased intensity of storms and storm surges.
Recent El Ninos have proved lethal to marine life, with the death of up to 98% of coral reefs in some regions. El Nino also has wreaked havoc in stocks of sardines and anchovies in Perua, marine iguanas and kelp forests off California and some species of seals, sea lions and seabirds.
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