The Effects of Climate Change on Coastal Seas and Marine LifeAdvertisementIt’s happening people. Rising Sea Temperatures and Climate ChangeI’m talking, of course, about climate change. This, by the way, is the oldest measure of climate change that we have that has been taken by instruments. Climate change is causing sustained increases in sea surface temperatures, with record-high readings now common in UK coastal waters. Sea surface temperature is one of the oldest and most reliable indicators of long-term climate change trends.