Most of the focus of public concern about climate change has been on the impacts on land, in particular on vegetation communities. It is increasingly being recognised that the sea is even more susceptible to climate change and that some of the changes already recorded are far greater than those seen on land. Sea temperatures in parts of the West of Scotland have risen by 1.5C in 25 years, proportionately far greater than the rises experienced on land. The impacts that this has had are equally spectacular, with some plankton species shifting their range by up to 1000km. This has knock-on effects on the fish and seabirds that depend on the plankton. Add to this the impacts on sea level rise, on rising acidity and on increasing storminess, and the sea is where the greatest effects of the changing climate are likely to be seen.