The seas around the UK and Europe are experiencing exceptionally high temperatures, despite being thousands of miles from El Niño’s Pacific region.
Professor Tim Smith, head of science at the Plymouth Institute of Marine Research, said the western English Channel has experienced an almost continuous marine heatwave for more than three years. In July, temperatures reached as much as seven degrees above average.
“This is unprecedented,” he said.
Scientists say widespread ocean warming is clear evidence of the growing impact of human-caused climate change on the world’s seas.
The ocean absorbs more than 90% of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions, which are produced mainly by burning fossil fuels.
“The latest Copernicus data confirms an alarming upward trend in global ocean temperatures,” Smith said.
Warmer oceans can intensify extreme weather events by supplying additional moisture and energy to storms. In some coastal regions, higher sea temperatures can also worsen heatwaves on land by reducing the cooling effect of ocean winds.
Rising ocean temperatures cause seawater to expand, contributing to sea-level rise and increasing the risk of coastal flooding. The intense heat can also damage marine ecosystems, including vulnerable coral reefs.
The growing frequency of marine heatwaves is already “increasing pressure on marine ecosystems and the communities that depend on them,” Burgess said.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk