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Ocean acidification occurs when the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide and becomes more acidic. This
can make it difficult for corals and organisms that form shells to survive, which can threaten the
survival of the entire food web of which they are part.

How does climate change affect coral reefs?

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coralreef-climate.html

Loss of biodiversity

A changing climate means changing habitats. This in turn further intensifies the effects of climate
change, which cause biodiversity loss. Biodiversity loss describes the decline in the number, genetic
variability, and variety of species, and the biological communities in a given area. This loss in the variety
of life can lead to a breakdown in the functioning of the ecosystem where the decline has happened .
3

Biodiversity, also called biological diversity, is the variety of life found in a place on
Earth or, often, the total variety of life on Earth. A common measure of this variety,
called species richness, is the count of species in an area. Biodiversity also
encompasses the genetic variety within each species and the variety of ecosystems
4
that species create .

Change in seasonality

Patterns and duration the season on regional scale are changed under global warming. Between
1952 and 2011, the average length of summer in Northern latitudes has already increased from 78 to
95 days, while the length of winter has shrunk from 76 to 73 days. Even small seasonal shifts such as
this can disrupt ecosystems and also lead to serious health hazards. The change in seasonality can
negatively affect crop production or increase the occurrence of mosquito-borne diseases. Longer
5
summers can increase the length of heatwaves and the occurrence of wildfires .
Heat stress

Heatwaves are defined as a series of consecutive days with exceptionally high air temperatures. As the
Earth warms, more areas will be at risk for hotter and more common extreme heatwaves.

Extreme heat causes heat-related illnesses, such as cardiovascular and respiratory complications and
kidney disease, and mortality. The groups particularly vulnerable to heat stress include older adults,
infants and children, people with chronic health conditions, outdoor workers, and people who have
low incomes.

3 https://www.britannica.com/science/biodiversity-loss
4 https://www.britannica.com/science/biodiversity

5 Changing Lengths of the Four Seasons by Global Warming, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091753

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the
views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the

information contained therein.