Temperatures in parts of the North Atlantic Ocean go up Off the charts, however, with an ‘exceptional’ marine heat wave occurring off the coasts of the UK and Ireland, raising concerns about the impacts on marine life.
Parts of the North Sea witness a Class 4 marine heat wave – Defined as “extreme” – according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In some areas, water temperatures are up to 5 °C (9 °F) hotter than normal.
The global oceans have been exceptionally warm for months. Saw April and May highest ocean surface temperatures For those two months since records began in 1850.
The regional picture is even starker, according to the UK’s Met Office: temperatures in the North Atlantic in May were about 1.25°C (2.25°F) above average.
“The eastern Atlantic, from Iceland to the tropics, is warmer than average. But areas around parts of northwest Europe, including parts of the UK, have some of the highest sea surface temperatures relative to average.” statement.
Many scientists are sounding the alarm.
Mika Rantanen, a researcher at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, said the heat wave was “very extraordinary”. “Currently he is the strongest on earth,” he told CNN.
Richard Unsworth, associate professor of biosciences at Swansea University in the UK and founding director of Project-Seagrass, called the Atlantic heat wave “completely unprecedented”.
It’s “far beyond expectations of the worst-case climate change in the region. It’s really scary how quickly the ocean basin is changing,” he told CNN.
The stakes are high for marine species, such as fish, corals and seaweeds – many of which are adaptations to survive within certain temperature ranges. Hot water can stress and even kill them.
“There is a high probability that animals such as shellfish, plants and algae will be killed by this European marine heatwave, particularly in shallow waters where temperatures may rise well beyond background levels,” Unsworth said.
earlier this month, Thousands of dead fish It washed along the Gulf Coast of Texas, a mass death that scientists believe is linked to rising ocean temperatures, as warmer waters are able to hold less oxygen. And in 2021, there is a severe heat wave About a billion oysters to death On the west coast of Canada.
Scientists say there are a number of factors behind the intense heat.
UK Met Office said statement.
Pollution from heating the planets is increasing as the world continues to burn fossil fuels, which means higher temperatures for the oceans and land.
El NinoThis year’s warming is expected to result in warming temperatures that tend to have a global warming effect.
Other factors may also play a role, including a lack of dust from the Sahara, which usually helps cool the area by reflecting away sunlight. “Weaker-than-average winds have reduced atmospheric dust for the region that could lead to higher temperatures,” Albert Klein Tank, head of the Met Office’s Hadley Center, said in a statement.
Weaker winds may also have helped increase temperatures, Rantanen said, as usually strong westerly winds cool the ocean surface.
Another potential driver of ocean heat could be pollution control regulations that require ships to cut sulfur in their fuel, which reduces aerosols in the atmosphere. While these aerosols have a negative effect on human health, they also have a cooling effect by reflecting away sunlight.
As climate change intensifies, marine heat waves are set to become more common. The frequency of marine heatwaves has already increased more than 20-fold due to human-caused global warming, according to 2020 Stady.
“While we cannot predict in detail the intensity, duration and location of extreme heating events such as the current marine heatwave, we do know that it is likely to be more widespread as our climate system collapses further,” Unsworth said.
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