Is the Color of the Sea Changing?

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海的颜色在变化？

The color of the ocean has changed significantly over the last 20 years and human-caused climate change is likely responsible, according to a new study.

More than 56% of the world’s oceans have changed color to an extent that cannot be explained by natural variability, said a team of researchers, led by scientists from the National Oceanography Center in the UK and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, in a statement.

Tropical oceans close to the equator in particular have become greener in the past two decades, reflecting changes in their ecosystems, according to a study published in the journal Nature.

The color of the ocean is derived from the materials found in its upper layers. For example, a deep blue sea will have very little life in it, whereas a green color means there are ecosystems there, based on phytoplankton, plant-like microbes which contain chlorophyll. The phytoplankton form the basis of a food web which supports larger organisms such as krill, fish, seabirds and marine mammals.

It’s not clear exactly how these ecosystems are changing, said study co-author Stephanie Dutkiewicz.

一项新研究发现，海水的颜色在过去20年发生了显著改变，这很可能是受到了人为导致的气候变化的影响。（剩余2040字）