Can the ocean life come back from where it is now?
Posted by joblox1220@reddit | marinebiology | View on Reddit | 11 comments
I am not well versed on the topic but I do know that the oceans are dying and was wondering can they come back? Thank you for your time reading.
Important_Recording6@reddit
dont worry humans will be dead long before we can permanently destroy life of earth
Clementine1812@reddit
I’m still in school, but I got my undergrad in marine bio and am currently working on a PhD focusing on oceanography. This is a great question! The answer is mixed. The ocean itself will likely recover, but it will not look the same. Many of the animals that we currently have in the ocean will likely not survive in the long run, but others are evolving and future generations of them will likely be able to acclimate. Since the ocean is being damaged at such an alarmingly fast rate, most organisms just don’t have time to even try to adjust. There have been cases of rocks that have incorporated microplastics into their layers, which we don’t previously think was possible. I don’t believe humanity will be a permanent fixture on this planet, and that may be the time when everything can start healing, but I sure hope that we can at least start fixing the damage we’ve caused.
joblox1220@reddit (OP)
perhaps we can leave behind some sort of warning for the next intelligent species perhaps to not do what we have done?
Clementine1812@reddit
Ah, that opens a whole other discussion that I find fascinating. It’s a good idea for sure, but one issue we’re concerned about, even now, is how we can ensure that signs, symbols, or messages will maintain their meaning- even throughout the existence of humanity. Sure, we all know what a toxic waste symbol means now, but that might be meaningless in a thousand or ten thousand years. Same with words, the English language alone is almost completely unrecognizable now vs a thousand years ago, it’s impossible to know what impacts time will have on anything we leave behind.
joblox1220@reddit (OP)
i believe some symbols are universal take spears for example chimps use spears like we have so i think that intelligent life comparable to humans should be able to understand things that are threatening such as sharp edges or blood which many species bleed red(i know there are some exceptions).
Clementine1812@reddit
Totally, but that’s also assuming that the idea of spears will still exist in the future. Perhaps our planet will be inhabited by a non-blood-based species, or something without pain receptors, in a million years. There’s no way of knowing what will stay and what won’t. This was considered a huge issue after nuclear waste sites became more common, especially with the half-life being further in the future than most people can hope to even have direct living descendants, it’s a really fascinating discussion.
joblox1220@reddit (OP)
we will (not us individually) find out when it gets here i guess
MichaEvon@reddit
Most coral reefs, and a lot of coastal Antarctica, probably not. The temperature trajectory is probably already set for them and they don’t have much temperature tolerance range left.
Most other ecosystems, yes, we can help them recover. We know how and there are loads of examples of protected areas and species protections working. We keep on keeping on.
BardicInclination@reddit
It's certainly possible it just takes the right decisions being made.
Sea Otters helping keep Sea Urchins at bay has helped kelp forests and could ideally help grow kelp forests back to their previous regions with enough time.
And not having every single country hunting whales has helped them which is great because whales are great at being living carbon storage. Not mention being part of the balance of ecosystems and the benefits to the seafloor from whalefalls.
Right now we aren't 100% on the right track, but smart choices can help get us there.
Smellzlikefish@reddit
You could ask the same thing with the forests. Trees in America like ash, oak, and elm are in decline due to invasive species and disease. Those invasives are probably there to stay. Rarely do environments revert to a former state without considerable cost. However, other species will find habitat in the loss and thrive. The same goes for the ocean. In places where corals have died off due to climate change and acidification, other organisms like cca and frondulose algae will take over. It may not be what we want to see in a reef, but change is constant.
Another way to think about it: at what historical point do you want ocean life to come back to? 1980? 1900? 1500? The oceans, and our impacts on it, were all very different.
LtMM_@reddit
On what time scale? It will certainly come back eventually.