A child takes shelter under an umbrella while another one plays with a water sprinkler, in Manhattan’s Central Park, in New York City, U.S., July 28, 2023. (REUTERS)
Metropolis Desk-
According to preliminary data made available by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Friday, the North Atlantic hit its hottest-ever level this week, several weeks ahead of its typical annual peak, after the Mediterranean’s new record high.
Scientists recently revealed that July is on course to be the warmest month in recorded history. This revelation follows confirmation that tens of millions of people have been harmed by the searing heat brought on by global warming.
According to our study, the average sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday reached a record-high 24.9 degrees C, or 76.8 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Xungang Yin, a scientist at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
Given that the North Atlantic typically reaches its highest temperature in early September, the record’s early-year occurrence is especially striking.
In September 2022, a temperature of 24.89 degrees Celsius was reported as the previous record high, according to Yin.
It will take NOAA roughly two weeks to confirm the preliminary findings because it has been monitoring water temperatures since the early 1980s.
During a particularly intense heat wave in Europe, Spanish researchers reported that the Mediterranean Sea hit its highest recorded temperature on Monday.
The European Earth observation program Copernicus used data from satellites to calculate the record, which was announced by Spain’s Institute of Marine Sciences.
Because it is less prone to severe temperature surges in solitary sections of the sea, those experts claimed they measure the daily median sea surface temperature rather than the average.
The Mediterranean region, which had record-breaking heat in July, has long been considered a climate change hotspot.
As NOAA’s Yin, the sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic is “expected to continue to increase through the month of August,” and it is “highly likely” that another record will be broken.
“More than one degree warmer than a 30-year climatological normal, calculated from 1982 to 2011,” he continued, referring to the new high temperature of 24.9 degrees Celsius.
Temperatures have usually been warmer than in prior years since March, which is the month when the North Atlantic starts to warm up after winter, with the difference becoming more evident in recent weeks.
Due to the consequences of climate change brought on by greenhouse gas emissions, the North Atlantic has evolved into a symbol of observation for the global warming of saltwater. The NOAA-differentiated Copernicus program informed AFP on Friday that it had seen a temperature of 24.7 Celsius on Wednesday in the North Atlantic.
While that was below the program’s September 2022 record and slightly below the NOAA level of 24.81 Celsius, a Copernicus spokesman claimed the record was certain to be beaten “this summer.”
It is only a matter of days at this point.
“This situation is extreme: we’ve seen maritime heat waves before, but this is very persistent and spread out over a large surface area” in the North Atlantic, said Karina Von Schuckmann from the Mercator Ocean International research center to AFP.
The expert pointed out that since the start of the industrial age, the oceans have absorbed 90% of the extra heat generated by human activities.
“This accumulation of energy doubled over the last two decades,” she claimed, causing global warming.
Globally, the average water temperature has been consistently breaking seasonal heat records since April.
The waters off the coast of Florida on Monday reached 38.3 degrees Celsius, according to data from a weather buoy, a temperature more commonly associated with a hot tub. This is only one startling, unique instance that has been observed.
The reading might be a world record if it is confirmed.
Source- Arab News
