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Heat waves are becoming more frequent and severe on land, and a new study shows the same thing is happening in oceans. The result? Some of the ocean’s most important species are being wiped out. Here's what it means (Hint: It's not good) 1/ wired.trib.al/MMqP56E
We rely on the oceans for oxygen, food, storm protection, and removal of climate-warming carbon dioxide. As heat waves have increased, kelp forests, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs, species that are critical to life in the ocean, have been lost 2/ wired.trib.al/MMqP56E 
For the study, researchers focused on extreme temperature spikes that lasted five days or more. They found heat wave days jumped by more than 50% from 1986-2016 and identified harmful hot spots ranging from the northeast Atlantic to the western Pacific 3/ wired.trib.al/MMqP56E
As a result, fisheries are suffering. A different paper shows that ocean warming has cut sustainable fish catches by 15 to 35 percent in five regions, including the North Sea and the East China Sea, and 4 percent globally 4/ wired.trib.al/MMqP56E
These changes can have major socioeconomic and political ramifications. Exhibit A: In 2012, diminished lobster stocks in the northwest Atlantic created tensions across the US–Canada border 5/ wired.trib.al/MMqP56E
The good(ish) news? Another recent study showed that achieving the 2°C climate change target in the Paris agreement would protect almost 10 metric tons of fish catches each year. We just have to hit that mark 6/ wired.trib.al/MMqP56E
