Shifting Tides: Navigating the Impact of Climate Change on Coastal Marine Ecosystems

Climate change describes long-term shifts in weather patterns and average temperatures on Earth. It is mainly caused by human activities, predominantly the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

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Coastal marine systems play a key role in supporting biodiversity, providing ecosystem services, and sustaining human livelihoods. However, these systems are particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change due to human population growth and coastal development. Therefore, climate change can have a significant impact on coastal ecosystems, specifically estuaries and coral reefs.

Coastal marine systems, including coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds, are rich in biodiversity and support a diverse array of marine species, including economically important fish and shellfish. The degradation or loss of these habitats due to climate change can result in a decrease in biodiversity and disrupt the intricate balance of these ecosystems. These systems offer essential ecosystem services that benefit both the environment and human populations. They serve as natural defenses against storms and coastal erosion, safeguard coastlines from flooding, and serve as breeding grounds for numerous commercially valuable fish species. Moreover, the effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels and more intense storms, can compromise these services, endangering coastal communities. Mangroves and seagrass beds, in particular, are effective carbon sinks, absorbing and storing significant amounts of carbon dioxide, which helps mitigate climate change. However, climate change poses a threat to these areas by eroding and submerging coastal ecosystems and eliminating wetlands.

However, rising temperatures and ocean acidification associated with climate change can weaken the ability of these ecosystems to sequester carbon, potentially exacerbating global warming and warmer and more acidic oceans are likely to disrupt coastal and marine ecosystems. Coastal communities heavily rely on marine resources for their livelihoods, including fishing, tourism, and aquaculture.