The global sea surface temperature is getting extremely warm. Since the hot temperature of the world's oceans is getting off the charts, many scientists are now concerned.
Global Sea Surface Temperature Getting Extremely Warm
According to NBC News' latest report, the global sea surface temperatures are spiking because of marine heat waves.
The North Atlantic Ocean is one of the affected areas. It has been engulfed in an unprecedented marine heatwave for the past few months.
Aside from this, the Caribbean basin and the Gulf of Mexico are also unusually warm.
Even the waters off the coast of Florida are extremely hot; reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit (around 38 degrees Celsius).
Svenja Ryan, a physical oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, shared his concern, saying that the world hasn't even reached the height of summer.
"Typically, the ocean continues to warm until September, so I think certainly we can expect this heat wave to last into the fall," he added.
About Marine Heatwaves
The National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explained that marine heatwaves happen when the sea surface temperature reaches over 90th percentile for a specific length of time.
"This means that the temperatures are warmer than 90% of the previous observations for a given time of year," said NOAA.
The environmental agency added that marine heatwaves can last for years, months, or just weeks.
Since this water phenomenon is alarming, NOAA's PSL (Physical Sciences Laboratory) and NOAA Coral Reef Watch are monitoring these marine heatwaves.
Why Scientists are Alarmed
Scientists explained that the marine heatwaves are alarming because the world's oceans are important for the Earth's capability to store heat.
Numerous studies revealed that the sea surface of the planet absorbs around 90% of the heat trapped because of greenhouse gas emissions ever since 1970.
If marine heatwaves worsen, there's a high chance that marine organisms, especially corals, will die in large numbers.
You can click this link to learn more about why experts are worried about the increasing sea surface temperature across the globe.
