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Updated: Jun 7, 2026
06:10
Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions
Published on: March 31, 2023
The future of the oceans past
1Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. jbjackson@ucsd.edu
Summary
Oceanographic changes drive major evolutionary events and extinctions. Urgent conservation is needed to prevent a mass extinction comparable to geological past events.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Paleontology
- Climate Science
Background:
- Macroevolutionary events in ocean history correlate with shifts in oceanographic conditions and environments.
- Past events, like the Isthmus of Panama formation and the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum, caused significant ecosystem changes and extinctions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the link between oceanographic changes and macroevolutionary events.
- To emphasize the current threats to marine ecosystems and the potential for a future mass extinction.
Main Methods:
- Review of geological and paleontological records of past oceanographic changes and their ecological impacts.
- Analysis of current anthropogenic stressors (overfishing, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions) on marine environments.
Main Results:
- Past climate and productivity shifts have historically triggered major ecosystem restructuring and extinctions.
- Current human-induced changes, including warming and ocean acidification, are rapidly altering ocean environments.
- Some current changes are reversible, but warming and acidification will worsen before improving.
Conclusions:
- Immediate and decisive conservation action is crucial to mitigate irreversible damage to ocean ecosystems.
- Without intervention, a mass extinction event comparable to geological past upheavals is likely.
- The future of marine biodiversity hinges on addressing current anthropogenic impacts on ocean environments.
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