More than 100 scientists from 36 countries worked on this report on the ocean, citing nearly 7,000 scientific papers and eliciting more than 31,000 comments during the reviews. The report observed that the global ocean, which is considered a major carbon sink, has already taken up over 90 percent of the world’s excess heat since the 1970s. Scientists noted that its rate of warming has doubled since 1993. Marine heat waves, or periods of extremely high ocean temperatures, have already adversely impacted marine organisms and ecosystems, as well as “critical foundation species,” including corals, seagrasses and kelp.

Enano, J. O. (2019, September 30). PH warned anew of climate impact. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A19.