Blue Carbon

Sea level anomalies

-0.25

-0.20

-0.05 -0.10 -0.15

(Metres) 0 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 and more

Source: IPCC, 2007.

Figure 10. Sea level anomalies (see text).

OCEAN CIRCULATION AND THERMAL EXPANSION

INCREASED FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY OF STORM EVENTS Higher water temperatures lead to increased evaporation, making more energy available for the atmosphere, which boosts the destructive force of extreme weather events like hurricanes, typhoons etc. 3

2

Melting and warming will have consequences on ocean cir- culation, as ocean currents are driven by the interactions between water masses though balance in temperature and salinity, in other words, their density. Additionally melting of inland glaciers and continental ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica, and the thermal expansion of ocean waters are causing sea level rise.

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