Scientists have gathered more evidence that ocean waters continue to warm along with the rest of the planet.
Ocean temperatures reached record highs during the month of May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday during its monthly climate call.
Pieces of drifting ice in the Gulf of Bothnia near the coast in early spring on May 3, 2023.
Olivier Morin/AFP via Getty Images
Four main factors contribute to the historic warming of global sea surface temperatures: human-induced climate change, a developing El Nino event, the effects of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano eruption of 2022 and a new maritime emissions policy aimed at reducing air. pollution, said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Some regions are experiencing temperatures up to 7 degrees above average for this time of year. On the island of Cape Verde, where hurricanes often form, the water is normally 75 degrees Fahrenheit, but it is currently 82.4 degrees.
Combined land and ocean temperatures in May were the third warmest on record, with surface temperatures rising about 0.97 degrees Celsius, or 1.75 degrees Fahrenheit, above the 20th century average, Rocky Bilotta, a climatologist at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, told reporters. .
Temperatures were above average across most of North America, South America and Africa. Parts of Western Europe, northwestern Russia, Southeast Asia and the Arctic also experienced warmer-than-average temperatures this month, Bilott said.
In the contiguous United States, May temperatures averaged 62.4 degrees Fahrenheit, 2.2 degrees above average for this time of year, Bilotta said.
The warmest global record was also set for the time period between March and May, according to NOAA.
Cleared lots are all that remain of some homes and businesses that were destroyed by Hurricane Ian on January 25, 2023 in Fort Myers Beach, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
2023 is very likely to be among the 10 warmest years on record, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information statistical analysis which was released in April. If warmer ocean and surface air temperatures continue, 2023 could become the warmest year on record.
Scientists predict that the current high temperatures could increase in the coming weeks and set record numbers, which could spell disaster for coastal communities around the world.
Warmer ocean waters can contribute to more powerful tropical storms and affect marine life. Also, a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture and can increase potential flooding. Melting sea ice in the Arctic is also causing sea levels to rise, which is eroding coastlines.
Beach lovers walk along the shore in Brigantine NJ on June 28, 2022.
Wayne Parry/AP
Earlier this week, thousands of fish washed up at Quintana Beach County Park on the Texas Gulf Coast, likely due to warming waters, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Kills and Spills Team.
“Fish kills like this are common in the summer when temperatures rise,” the department said in a statement. “If there is not enough oxygen in the water, the fish cannot ‘breathe’. Low dissolved oxygen in many cases is a natural occurrence.”
