KEY POINTS:
Britain's coasts are being affected by climate change which is increasing sea temperature and creating damaging storms.
This is the message from a panel of experts convened by Britain's Government to assess the effects of global warming.
It says changes in climate are altering the amount, variety and distributions of every kind of marine organism, from plankton and fish to sea mammals and birds.
Sea temperatures have increased, storms and waves are becoming more damaging and sea levels are beginning to rise faster than at any time in the past 100 years.
The panel was drawn from institutions ranging from Cambridge University to the Met Office.
"We are observing large changes in our marine environment that are driven in part by climate change and that are predicted to continue," says its report, published in Britain yesterday.
Sea surface temperatures around Britain's coastline had been rising by between 0.2C and 0.6C a decade for the past 30 years, and would continue to rise, especially in the southeast.
Over the past 50 years, severe winds had become more commonplace and the height of waves had increased by about 2 per cent a year in the western and northern parts of British waters, the report said.
World sea levels rose between 1mm and 2mm a year during the 20th century, accelerated to 3mm a year between 1993 and 2003.
"During the 21st century it is likely that global average sea level will rise by between 9cm and 88cm relative to 1990, but it will not be uniform around the world," the report says.
"The expected range of relative sea level rise by the 2080s (relative to the 1961-1990 mean) is 20cm to 80cm in southwest England and 0cm to 60cm in Scotland."
Oceans around the world were becoming more acid because of the increased concentration of carbon dioxide they were absorbing.
Computer simulations indicated the increased acidity of British coastal waters would surpass the maximum acidity of existing levels.
"The full effect of acidification remain largely unknown, but organisms such as corals, some plankton, shellfish and sea urchins are expected to become less able to produce calcareous parts, such as shells, by the middle of the century," the report says.
Climate change was affecting the variety and distribution of marine species - although it was not the only factor affecting coastal wildlife.
"Cold-water species of plankton, fish and intertidal invertebrates are retreating northwards around the UK and the ranges of southern species are expanding," the report says.
"Fishing pressure remains the principle cause of changes in the abundance of most fish species, but climate has probably also played a role in some cases.
"For example, the decline of prey species (particularly sand-eels) has resulted in low breeding success of black-legged kittiwakes and other seabirds.
"Warm-water commercial species such as sea bass, red mullet and tuna are becoming more commonplace in our seas."
Climate Change Minister Ian Pearson said the report's findings underlined the fact that global warming was the world's biggest environmental threat.
"Our seas play a vital role in shaping and regulating our climate and have a tremendous bearing on our future wellbeing," Mr Pearson said.
"Rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification and melting polar ice are not just predictions, they are happening now," he said.
- INDEPENDENT
