Science and Technology Daily Beijing, August 8 (Reporter Liu Xia) According to the physicists organization network reported on the 7th, data from the European Union Climate Observatory showed that on July 5, the average temperature of the global ocean surface rose to 7.30 °C, exceeding the observation record of 20.96 °C set in March 2016.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has recorded a similar trend in recent months. On April 4 this year, NOAA measured a global average ocean surface temperature of 4.21°C, surpassing the record high of 06.2016°C in March 3. On August 21 this year, the average global ocean surface temperature was 01.8°C.
Climate experts point out that marine heatwaves pose a direct threat to some marine life, and corals in Florida, USA, are beginning to bleach, and more impacts are expected to surface. Excessive ocean temperatures can also have other effects on marine flora and fauna, such as threatening fish stocks, thereby undermining food security in some parts of the world. In addition, warming oceans have a lower capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, exacerbating the vicious cycle of global warming.
Rowan Sutton, director of climate research at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, said that the main long-term cause of the increase in ocean temperature is undoubtedly the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by human activities, and this excess heat will increase day by day as greenhouse gases such as burning oil, gas and coal continue to accumulate in the earth's atmosphere.
Previously, ocean temperatures in many parts of the world also hit new highs. NOAA observations show that the average temperature in the surface waters of the North Atlantic rose to a record high of 24.9°C last week. Data from the Spanish Centre for Marine Research showed that in July this year, the median temperature in the Mediterranean Sea was 7.28 degrees Celsius, breaking the previous observation record.
Scientists expect the worst effects of the current El Niño to appear at the end of 2023 and continue for years thereafter, which could make the sea warmer.