Conference on Ocean-Continent Interrelationships

within a Scenario of Global Changes

Academia Brasileira de Ciências

Rio de Janeiro 2 October 2012

Changing Oceans & Coasts:

Contemporary Issues

Dr. Björn Kjerfve, President

World Maritime University

Photo Source: Science Photo Library

Human Population

0

2

4

6

8

10

1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 2050

Pe

op

le (

bill

ion

)

Year

World Population

Overpopulation

Carbon dioxide in earth’s atmosphere July 2009. Source: Nasa

250

270

290

310

330

350

370

390

1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000

CO

2 p

pm

v

CO2 ppmv from 1750-2012

Ocean Circulation

Deep Sea Inventory & Mapping

Tōhoku Earthquake & Tsunami, Japan 2011

IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007 (AR4)

IPCC Third Assessment Report: Climate Change 2001 (TAR)

IPCC Second Assessment Report: Climate Change 1995 (SAR)

IPCC First Assessment Report 1990 (FAR)

IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Receding Sea Ice

Sea Level Change

Coastal Erosion & Relative Sea Level Rise

Quaternary Glaciation Cycles

Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, 2005

Acidification

CO2/pH

Coral Bleaching

Marine Debris

Sargassum

Nurdles

Fisheries

Overfishing

Non-Sustainable Fishing

Invasive Species

“Beautiful Aquatic Rat” Lion fish (Pterois volitans)

September 16 2012

The Arctic

Disasters & Human Factors

Our Role

Photo Source: Science Photo Library