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Source-This post on UNESCO’s State of Ocean Report 2024 has been created based on the article “UNESCO’s State of Ocean Report highlights key knowledge gaps in research & data on spiking oceanic warming” published in “Down to Earth” on 7 June 2024.
Why in News?
Recently, UNESCO State of Ocean Report 2024 has been published by United Nations.
About the UNESCO State of Ocean Report 2024
1. The UNESCO ‘State of the Ocean Report’ was started by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO) during the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference.
2. This report provides an easy-to-understand overview of the ocean’s current condition. It helps track the progress of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) and encourages efforts towards creating a sustainable future for our oceans.
3. The first report in 2022 included insights from over 100 marine science experts on topics like ocean acidification, pollution, and tsunami warnings.
4. New editions of the report are released every year on World Oceans Day (June 8). These reports align with the seven goals of the UN Ocean Decade.
Key Highlights of the report
1. Ocean Warming: The upper 2,000 meters of the oceans have been warming significantly. The rate of warming has increased from 0.32 ± 0.03 watts per square meter (W/m²) to 0.66 ± 0.10 W/m² in the past 20 years.
2. Energy Absorption: Oceans are absorbing about 90% of the Earth’s excess energy. This causes deoxygenation (loss of oxygen), which threatens marine ecosystems and human economies that rely on them.
3. Ocean Acidification: The acidity of the ocean is increasing globally, especially in the open ocean, with a notable drop in pH since the late 1980s.
4. Sea Level Rise: Sea levels have been rising steadily since 1993. Better monitoring systems are needed to track this at all levels.
5. Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal: There is growing interest in technologies to remove carbon dioxide from the ocean, but their effectiveness and environmental impact are still uncertain.
UPSC Syllabus: Reports
