Earth and Environmental Sciences professor explains the widespread effects of sweltering temps on sea life and their role in climate change
View of the sunrise and petrels from the D/V JOIDES Resolution during a sediment coring expedition to the southeast Pacific led by Dr. Samantha Bova (SDSU) and Dr. Yair Rosenthal (Rutgers) in 2019. (Credit: International Ocean Discovery Program Imaging Specialist, Sarah Kachovich)
This summer, residents of the Southwestern U.S. are feeling the heat. Excessive heat warnings are common, concerns of power outages loom and temperature records have been shattered in multiple regions.
The extreme heat is a product of climate change that doesn’t just impact those on the shore. According to NASA, 90% of global warming is happening in the ocean, which means rising temperatures above the water have rippling effects on the ocean’s ecosystems.
As we close out July and head into August, some of the hottest months on the calendar and California’s peak fire season, we asked paleoceanographer and Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Samantha Bova to break down the science behind the scorching temps, their role in climate change and how they affect sea life.
Check out the Q&A on SDSU NewsCenter.