Data from the EU’s Copernicus Earth observation program shows the record 20.96 degrees is the highest recorded since 2016. It is also well above average for this time of year.
Typically, global ocean temperatures are highest in March. Therefore, scientists are now worried.
“The fact that we’ve seen the record now makes me nervous about how much warmer the ocean could get between now and next March,” Samantha Burgess, a researcher at the Copernicus Climate Change Service told the BBC.
Sharks can become aggressive
Warmer world oceans and heat waves disrupt marine life. Fish and whales move in search of cooler water and therefore the food chain is disturbed. Experts therefore believe that there is a risk that the fishing stock may be affected.
Some predators including sharks can also become aggressive when confused in warmer temperatures.
“Many corals have already died”
“There is widespread coral bleaching on shallow reefs in Florida and many corals have already died,”
said Kathryn Lesneski, a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who is monitoring a marine heat wave in the Gulf of Mexico.
Matt Frost, researcher at Plymouth Marine Lab in the UK, also refers to the fact that pollution and overfishing are changing the oceans. He believes we are putting the oceans under more stress than we have at any point in history.
Expected to rise further
The scientists investigate reasons for the increased temperatures in the oceans and point to climate change as a culprit, as a result of warming from greenhouse gas emissions.
“The more we burn fossil fuels, the more excess heat will be taken out of the oceans, which means the longer it will take to stabilize them and get them back to where they were,” explains Samantha Burgess.
According to the researchers, ocean temperatures are expected to rise further above average in the coming months.