Tuesday 25 April 2023

Sea surface hits new record temperatures

This month the world’s sea surface reached a new record temperature.

That’s according to scientists, who believe that this combined with the El Niño weather event could lead to worryingly heat levels this year.

Published in Earth System Science Data (ESSD), the study warns that not only will hotter seas and oceans kill off more marine wildlife, they will also prevent heat absorption.

Most of the Earth’s heat has gone into the oceans during the last 15 years, the researchers have said.

The impacts have been shown by last month’s sea surface temperatures being 13.8°C higher than the average across 1981 – 2011.

Karina Von Schuckmann, lead author of the study and oceanographer at Mercator Ocean International, said: “It's not yet well established, why such a rapid change and such a huge change is happening.

“We have doubled the heat in the climate system the last 15 years, I don't want to say this is climate change, or natural variability or a mixture of both, we don't know yet. But we do see this change.”