Ancient vs. Modern Oceans: Perspectives in a Climate Change Scenario

Abstract

The Ocean has historically been recognized as an essential regulator of climate within Earth planet, taking significant roles in different processes like generation of wind fields and storms, changes in biogeochemical balances, global circulation and heat fluxes. Changes in the ocean conditions can directly affect the climate system, not only due to its role on the energy fluxes of the planet, but also by regulating the running and performance of numerous biogeochemical cycles. Marine ecosystems provide numerous services, including food production, wastes discharge and degradation, protection of shorelines against storms, climate and atmosphere dynamics regulation, tourism development, among others. Had the ocean always played these environmental roles along the history of the planet?... How were the environmental and oceanographic conditions of the primitive oceans?... Which are the main differences and similarities between ancient and modern oceans?...The sequence of scenarios: The Archean Ocean - The Proterozoic Ocean - The Paleozoic Ocean - The Mesozoic Ocean - The Cenozoic Ocean - The Modern Ocean: from Pleistocene and up to now.The future evolution of the oceans is underway, and certainly in the next few million years the planet will have a different image, and changes the oceans generate will determine how life should continue on Earth?