S E A T T L E,   June 8— Warming oceans are choking off marine life at an alarming pace and shrinking food supplies for people and other creatures dependent on the seas, according to a report released Tuesday by two environmental groups. 
     The report, released by the Washington-based World Wildlife Fund and the Marine Conservation Biology Institute in Redmond, Washington, said global warming has been starving several species, including Pacific salmon, and melting polar ice that supports a range of mammals and birds. 
     “Warmer temperatures are raising the biological cost of living for marine species,” said Elliot Norse, president of the biology institute. 
     The groups blamed emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, produced primarily in the United States and other industrial countries that burn fossil fuels for energy. 
     By thickening Earth’s atmosphere and trapping heat at the surface, greenhouse gases have helped melt vast tracts of polar ice, raised water temperatures and forced some species to migrate to colder climates. 
     “These disturbing results demonstrate that global warming is coming home to roost,” said Adam Markham, director of the wildlife fund’s climate program. “The story will only get worse unless governments and business take the steps to stop it.” 

Rising Temperatures Still Expected
Ocean temperatures have risen 3 degrees Fahrenheit in some places over the past 60 years and will rise another 5½ degrees over the next century if greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow at current rates, the report said. 
     Global warming has coincided with an increased incidence of the El Niñno phenomenon, in which warm water concentrated in the eastern Pacific creates volatile weather patterns. 
     Centuries ago El Niñno occurred every two to 15 years, but the pattern was repeated five times between 1990 and 1997 and record high global average temperatures were recorded in 1997 and 1998. 
     The oceanic heat has devastated coral reefs and ice shelves that house species including algae, plankton and crustaceans, cutting the food supply to larger animals including whales, penguins and sea lions. 
     Rising sea levels also threaten to ruin coastal wetlands and other habitats that support marine animals and commercial fisheries, the report concluded.

S U M M A R Y

Marine life and food supplies may be decreasing because global temperatures are continuing to rise.
 
 
 

Two groups blame global warming for starving several species, including Pacific salmon, and melting polar ice.