28/6/2025–|Last update: 18:51 (Mecca time)
The ocean waters are witnessing a noticeable change in their colors, as it became more green in the polar areas, and the most severe in the tropical areas, according to To study New published on June 19 in the magazine “Science”.
This change is due to the decline in the concentration of green chlorophyll in some areas, and increasing it in another, which is a dye produced by plant plankton, microorganisms that make the optical construction process and form the base of the food chain in the oceans.
These transformations, which have been monitored using satellite data over 20 years, may carry long -term effects on marine ecosystems, and may even threaten the future of global fish fisheries, especially in the countries that depend on them in their food and economy, according to the main author of the study Haibing Chao, post -doctoral researcher at Duke University.
Outs are more varying
The researchers relied on data from a NASA device, which is a comprehensive survey of the planet every two days, and measures the wavelengths of light reflected from the ocean surface.
The team used this data to estimate the concentration of chlorophyll as an indirect evidence of the abundance of plant plankton, but they excluded the coastal areas of the analysis, because the optical water properties there differ due to the suspended deposits.
“The analysis revealed a clear direction, as the biomass of plant plankton declines in the tropical and semi -tropical areas, while it rises in the polar areas, especially in the northern hemisphere,” Zhao says in statements to Al -Jazeera Net. He added: “This contrast reflects a pattern similar to that of wealth distribution within society.”
To overcome the rear noise in the data, the team used economic concepts such as the Lorenian curve and a genetic index, which is usually used to measure economic inequality or population growth indicators. “We thought, why do we not use these indicators to monitor how the distribution of chlorophyll changed in the oceans? The analysis has revealed an amazing fact: the green areas have become more green, and the blue areas have become more butterned,” the researcher says.
But the research team made it clear that these changes cannot be definitely attributed to climate change, given that the study period did not exceed two decades. “This period is relatively short to judge the effects of long -term climatic phenomena. We need more data over the coming decades to separate the impact of climate change from periodic effects such as the Ninho,” said Zhao.
Possible environmental and economic repercussions
The transformations in the sites of plant plankton may also affect the global carbon cycle. When these organisms absorb carbon dioxide during the optical acting process, then die and dive into the ocean bottom, they contribute to storing carbon away from the atmosphere. The researcher explains that the place and depth of this storage has a great effect. The carbon is stored in depths where the water does not return to appear quickly, it remains there for a longer period, which helps reduce warming. As for the carbon stored on superficial depths, it can quickly return to the atmosphere.
Fears are not limited to climate changes only, but also extend to the threat of food security. Plant planks are the primary food of small marine organisms, which in turn feed fish, whales and other larger organisms. “If plankton continues to decline in tropical areas, we may witness shifts in fish distribution, which will directly affect the island states and low -income coastal areas, which depend on fish fisheries as a major food and economic source,” Zhao added.
The researcher notes that the ocean color is a digital imprint of the marine ecosystem, and if this fingerprint changes, we need to understand what is happening, because any defect in the base of the food chain may lead to repercussions that are difficult to remedy later.