Question

how do ocean current shift due to climate change?

Answer 1

As the climate gets warmer, species migrate to new regions where conditions are more tolerable, such as higher latitudes, deeper waters, or higher terrain. This leads to a shift in their geographical range that can produce significant changes to ecosystems and serious socioeconomic and human health implications. But their prediction is difficult because of the complex interactions between changes in climate and other existing human, environmental and biological factors.

"External directional forces, such as water and air currents, are one of those important but overlooked processes that act as conveyor belts facilitating or hindering the dispersion of species" says Dr. Jorge García Molinos, the lead author at the Arctic Research Center of Hokkaido University. "How the movement of climate relates to the movement of water can offer valuable insight to better understand how species track a shifting climate."

Answer 2

Differences in water density, resulting from the variability of water temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline), also cause ocean currents. This process is known as thermohaline circulation. In cold regions, such as the North Atlantic Ocean, ocean water loses heat to the atmosphere and becomes cold and dense.