Will the ocean in 2050 still hold the same light we know today?
The coastline Se-a walked in 2030 was already different from the seas we remember.
A gray surface, artificially restored shorelines, and silent warning signs that spoke without words.
But that was only the beginning.
The ocean is the frontline of climate change.
Since the dawn of industrialization, it has absorbed nearly 90% of excess carbon,
and as a result, the temperature of seawater continues to rise.
Global sea level has already risen more than 20 cm compared to 1901,
and the IPCC (2021) does not rule out the possibility of a rise of over 1 meter by 2100.
This means that many of the coastal cities we know todaycould disappear beneath the water before the end of this century.
Yet sea-level rise is not the only threat.
Shifts in temperature are shaking entire marine ecosystems.
More than 50% of the world's coral reefs have already perished or suffered bleaching,
and microscopic communities like plankton are reacting sensitively to rising temperatures.
Such ecological collapse inevitably leads to the breakdown of the food chain.
The Northwest Pacific, where the Korean Peninsula lies,
faces a triple crisis of warming seas, weakening currents, and ocean acidification.
According to KIOST (Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology),
by 2030 the average temperature of the southern coast is expected to rise by 1.5–2.5°C.
This rapid change could drive existing species northward,leading to the collapse of coastal fisheries and a severe loss of biodiversity.
The weakening of ocean currents poses an equally grave danger.
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is now considered at its weakest in 1,600 years,
and this indirectly affects the Northwest Pacific and surrounding Korean waters.
If the currents stop, the ocean loses its role as a "moving heat reservoir."
The result: regional climate instability on an unpredictable scale.
Cities are becoming increasingly vulnerable at the water's edge.
Major Korean port cities such as Seoul, Incheon, and Busanface not only the risk of inundation, but also saltwater intrusion, drainage system failure,and even outbreaks of waterborne diseases due to seawater backflow.
The ocean of the future is no longer just a "scenic view."
It is a mirror of the climate crisis,
and the most immediate warning our civilization must confront.
Yet the ocean is also an opportunity.
By 2050, offshore wind power, blue carbon ecosystems,
and sustainable coastal restoration projects will form key pillars of global carbon neutrality strategies.
Technology and policy for human–ocean coexistence are beginning to take shape.
The sea that Se-a encountered in 2030 may be only a previewof the one we can still transform today.
The words we speak, the questions we ask,
and the small actions we choose with sinceritymay yet bring back the blue to our seas.