Ecology: Ocean colors reflect climate trends | Nature | Nature’s portfolio

A research paper published this week indicates that the color of the ocean has changed over the past two decades, and the trends suggest that this trend may indicate changes in surface ocean ecosystems due to climate change.natureReliable observations of changes in ecological and biochemical properties in the ocean can be used to guide marine conservation programmes.

Climate change is altering the structure and functions of marine ecosystems, and its impact is expected to become even greater in the future. Monitoring changes in the concentration of chlorophyll, the green pigment in photosynthetic phytoplankton, is being investigated as a way to measure changes in ecosystems. However, continuous monitoring of chlorophyll for more than 30 years is considered necessary to detect climate-induced changes.

BB Cael and colleagues now report that an alternative indicator called remote-sensing reflectance can be used to detect significant trends in ocean color changes in short-term observations. Remote sensing reflectance is a measure of ambient color and can be used to estimate chlorophyll concentration and ecosystem condition. Remote sensing reflectance observations have been made for 20 years using MODIS aboard the Aqua satellite. Cael et al. They suggest that the observed changes in ocean color during this period were caused by climate change, and likely reflect changes in planktonic communities, and add that such changes may affect marine ecosystems. Kael and colleagues concluded that because plankton play a major role in the ocean food chain and carbon storage, detecting changes in these ecosystems would be very informative.

doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06321-z

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