ABSTRACT

Rising temperatures, due to global climate change will increase the stratification and reduce the depth of the upper mixed layer which exposes the organisms dwelling there to higher solar visible and ultraviolet radiation. The highest concentrations are found near the poles while the Northern and Southern mid-latitudes are deserts as seen in pseudocolor images of the chlorophyll distribution. Climate change will likely favor organisms with better enzymatic repair systems. Due to climate change thermal niches of species will move toward the poles and tropical phytoplankton will undergo a significant decline in species diversity. In the period between 1960 and 2009, a decline in dinoflagellates was observed in the northeast Atlantic and the North Sea, due to increasing temperatures and resulting stronger stratification as well as ocean acidification and nutrient limitation. The oceans and the biological pump are a major carbon dioxide sink and play a crucial role in global climate change and limiting the temperature increase.