Ocean warming may well turn out to be the greatest hidden challenge of our generation. Whilst some may be aware
of the challenges a warming ocean presents to coral reefs, few know about the other consequences this holds for
the ocean.
Ocean warming is driving changes across species and ecosystem scales, and across geographies and the world. It interacts with deoxygenation, ocean acidification and other stressors with likely compounding consequences for ocean ecosystems and species.
In 2016, IUCN released a landmark publication Explaining ocean warming : causes, scale, effects and consequences that explores this issue from a range of different perspectives – oceanography, ecosystems and species. It contains many recommendations from the scientists on capability gaps and research issues that need to be resolved if we are to tackle the impacts of ocean warming with greater confidence in the future.
