Paris: This week saw a new ocean temperature record, sparking worries about how this would affect the planet’s climate, marine life, and coastal towns.
According to data from the European Union’s climate observatory, the temperature of the ocean surface increased on Friday to 20.96 degrees Celsius (69.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
According to a spokesman for the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the previous record was 20.95C in March 2016.
Polar regions were not included in the test samples.
Scientists estimate that since the start of the industrial age, oceans have absorbed 90% of the extra heat generated by human activities.
As greenhouse gases, mostly those produced by burning coal, oil, and gas, continue to build up in the Earth’s atmosphere, more and more of this surplus heat is generated.
Since April, the average seawater temperature has routinely surpassed seasonal heat records.
The International Centre for Climate at the University of Leeds’ Piers Forster stated that “the ocean heatwave is an immediate threat to some marine life.”
“As a direct result, we are already observing coral bleaching in Florida, and I anticipate more impacts will emerge.”
It is anticipated that the warming of the oceans would also affect other aspects of marine plant and animal life, such as species migration and the spread of invasive species.
This might put fish supplies in danger and compromise global food security in some areas.
Additionally, warmer oceans are less able to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), feeding the cycle of global warming.
Additionally, since the El Nino phenomenon, which tends to warm the oceans, has just started, higher temperatures are likely to follow.
The harshest effects of the present El Nino, according to scientists, could start to be felt by the end of 2023 and last into the following years.
Such as bath water
According to Rowan Sutton, director of climate research at the University of Reading, “While there are unquestionably short-term factors, the main long-term cause is without a doubt the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by human activity, particularly by the burning of fossil fuels.”
The most recent data come after a succession of global record highs.
The Florida coast recorded temperatures of 38.3C on Monday, which is as hot as a jacuzzi and, if verified, would set a new world record high for a point measurement.
According to preliminary data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the average temperature of the surface waters of the North Atlantic last week reached a record-high 24.9C.
Typically, the North Atlantic only reaches its warmest point in September.
Temperatures have been higher than in prior years since March, when the North Atlantic starts to warm up after winter, and the difference with previous records has widened in recent weeks.
The area has developed into a focal point for tracking the warming of the waters throughout the globe.
According to Spain’s top maritime research center, the Mediterranean Sea smashed its daily heat record earlier in July with a median temperature of 28.71C.
According to a 2019 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), marine heatwaves have doubled in frequency since 1982.
If pollutant emissions are not controlled, they may be 10 times more intense by 2100 than they were at the start of the 20th century.
The COP28 United Nations climate negotiations, set to take place at the end of the year in Dubai, are anticipated to center on the usage of coal, oil, and gas.