Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels. Climate change affects West Virginia because average precipitation is likely to increase during winter and spring but not change significantly during summer and fall. Rising temperatures will melt snow earlier in spring and increase evaporation, and thereby dry the soil during summer and fall.

 One Ocean

Climate change is causing some serious changes in oceans, including temperature increase, sea level rise, and acidification. Oceans are becoming more acidic as they absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere, and concurrently oxygen levels are decreasing. Climate change leads to increases in ocean temperatures, evaporation of seawater, and glacial and sea ice melting could create an influx of warm freshwater onto the ocean surface. Climate change enhances ocean basins by having the oceans warm due to an increasing global temperature, seawater expands which takes up more space in the ocean basin and causes a rise in water level. The second mechanism is the melting of ice over land, which then adds water to the ocean which can be a problem for tides.

Tides

As human activity warms our planet, the ocean absorbs over 90% of the excess heat. This increases water volume and melts ice sheets and glaciers, contributing to sea level rise. As a result of sea level rise, high tides are reaching higher and extending further inland than in the past. Low-lying shorelines are at increased risk of flooding because of rising seas. The highest tide of the year provides a preview of how sea level rise will affect coastal places. The tides can have a major affect on the maximum wave heights experienced during a tsunami. 

Tsunami

A tsunami is a large ocean wave that is caused by sudden motion on the ocean floor. This sudden motion could be an earthquake, a powerful volcanic eruption or an underwater landslide, the biggest threat to tsunamis are rising sea levels, which are being aggravated by climate change. The reason that rising sea levels can make tsunamis even worse than they already are is because higher sea levels can allow for tsunamis to travel further inland and cause even more damage. 

Red Tides

Much like tsunamis, red tides are just as problematic,. Higher water temperatures combined with increased stormwater runoff of nutrients can result in conditions favorable for algal blooms. Consequently, with a changing climate, harmful algal blooms can occur more often, in more fresh or marine waterbodies, and can be more intense. Climate change complicates the frequency and occurrence of red tides. Wind and temperature are expected to increase with a warming planet. With more wind stirring up nutrients, dinoflagellates can get food easier.

Ocean Warming 

With the ocean warming, this can help create favorable conditions for hurricanes to be more frequent. As greenhouse gases trap more energy from the sun, the oceans are absorbing more heat, resulting in an increase in sea surface temperatures and rising sea level. Changes in ocean temperatures and currents brought about by climate change will lead to alterations in climate patterns around the world.

Hurricanes

Stronger hurricanes are becoming more common in a warmer climate. Researchers suggest that the most damaging U.S. hurricanes are three times more frequent than 100 years ago, and that the proportion of major hurricanes, Category 3 or above, in the Atlantic Ocean has doubled since 1980. 

Dead Zones

Warmer waters will increase metabolism of marine creatures, thereby increasing their need for oxygen. Warmer temperatures and increased runoff of freshwater will increase stratification of the water column, thus further promoting the formation of dead zones. 

Ocean Currents

Climate change warms the ocean, causing knock-on effects such as thermal expansion, which leads to a rise in sea level and changes in ocean currents. The melting of ice both on land and in the sea also affects the ocean, causing more sea-level rise and reducing the salinity of the ocean. 

Ocean Acidification

In this picture on the left, the coral reef is healthy, in the middle it is dying, in the last picture it is dead. Why is that? Because of human-driven increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, there is more CO dissolving into the ocean. The ocean's average pH is now around 8.1 , which is basic or alkaline, but as the ocean continues to absorb more CO, the pH decreases and the ocean becomes more acidic. Because of offshore drilling, this causes ocean acidification to be more frequent with the amount of pollutants in the ocean. 

Offshore Drilling

Normal offshore drilling operations release toxic pollution into the air and water. Exploration and drilling at the platform, transportation via tankers, and refining the oil on land can all release volatile organic compounds, greenhouse gases, and other air pollutants. This intentional flaring, burning of gas, blasts not only methane and carbon dioxide (CO2), but also toxic air pollutants into the atmosphere.