Written Assignment
Humans know more about the moon, than we do our own ocean floors. The ocean is an extremely vast area which we have yet to fully discover. But what if all the living beings in the ocean perish before we could ever discover them? Realistically speaking this might not happen due to efforts already being implemented to reduce environmental issues. However, with the sheer number of scientists analyzing the matter, it is baffling how climate change is still being denounced. Due to people not believing in climate change, efforts in reducing factors affecting it remain difficult. In this essay, I will be addressing the issue of climate change on our oceans and how addressing it would improve sustainability as a whole.
Task of Profession
As listed by the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, the main tasks for my chosen profession, Marine Biologist, are to study “the anatomy, physiology, functions, characteristics, behavior and environments of all forms of life living in the sea and connected water bodies.” (Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, 2009).
As a marine biologist, I am required to study all marine life to fully understand their behavior, which will enable me to pick up on behavioral anomalies, especially when the particular species is in distress. It is also a duty to carry out experiments and researches and “present[ing] the findings at scientific meetings and conferences” (Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, 2009), more so to come up with a strategy to overcome an issue at hand if there are any. Most of all, I am obligated to ensure all living beings in the oceans are safe from harm.
Contributing to Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
The definition of climate change, as stated by The Australian Academy of Science, is “a change in the pattern of weather, and related changes in oceans, land surfaces, and ice sheets, occurring over time scales of decades or longer.” (“The science of climate change: Questions and answers”, Australian Academy of Science, Canberra, 2015, p. 6). Climate change is mostly due to human impacts, with “recent anthropogenic emissions of green house gases” being the highest in history (IPCC, 2014: Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report, p. 2). As green house gases increase, earth systems are altered, damaging the environment to a point of irreversibility.
Marine life is in constant threat due to climate change. One of the most alarming issues is the rising of sea levels. There are two main contributors to the sea level rise: as the ocean is getting warmer due to global warming, the ocean water is expanding which results in a higher volume of water and as the ice from glaciers melt, the water is added into the ocean. The surface melting of ice sheets and ice discharge from both Greenland and the Antarctic are also further contributing to ...
