Due to climate change, the color of the Earth's oceans will change in just 80 years

According to a new study, the Earth's oceans can lose their own blue color in just 80 years. This shocking news has been recently revealed by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) researchers. This means that now Earth may no longer be Pale Blue Dot. According to researchers, Climate change will be responsible for shifting the color of the oceans. The study says that climate change is causing changes to phytoplankton, which will affect the ocean’s color by end of 21st century. Phytoplankton are the tiny sea creatures or you can say these are the self-feeding components of the plankton community and a key part of oceans, seas, and freshwater basin ecosystems.

The study shows that by the year 2100, more than 50% of the world’s oceans will change color. The meaning of change will be that the blue and green regions of the ocean will be more intense in color. As our planet continues to warm, our oceans will turn deeper shades of blue and green. The changes in color are in part a function of the fluctuating populations of phytoplankton or algae. Climate change will show different effects on phytoplankton's various communities. Blue regions will become more blue, reflecting less phytoplankton and green areas will turn dark green due to the increase in the population of phytoplankton. In the subtropics, the water is expected to become more blue because the population of algae falls. On the other hand, waters near the poles are expected to turn deeper shades of green as the warmer temperatures beckon the phytoplankton to boom.

As a result, more algae means more green because they have chlorophyll pigments which absorb sunlight for photosynthesis - absorb more of the blue end of the electromagnetic spectrum and less of the green. Water itself does not absorb blue light, so the emptier it is, the bluer it will be. According to researchers, changes in color may not be noticeable to the naked human eyes, although it is obvious that changes will be clearly visible from the satellites. 

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