Scientists are alarmed because ocean surface temperatures have been consistently breaking records over the last few month. Daily ocean surface temperatures in April broke historical record highs since at least 1982, according to data analyzed by the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute.
That means we’re in uncharted territory as global warming continues to wreak havoc, with extreme weather events becoming more common by the year — and scientists are clearly concerned about the rising temperatures.
It’s part of a larger, troubling trend. A research published last month discovered that oceans of our planet have absorbed nearly as much heat in the last 15 years as it has in the preceding 45, indicating that we are on track for significant spikes in global temperatures.
The previous ocean surface temperature record was set in 2016 during an El Niño, ScienceAlert reports, a weather pattern associated with a warm band of ocean water developing in the Pacific. 2023 is off to an alarming start, even before El Niño conditions fully develop later this year, new record will likely be surpassed in a matter of years.
Some research has shown that world is warming in jumps, where little changes over a period of years and then there are sudden leaps upwards, like steps on a stairs, closely linked to the development of El Niño.
“Worse yet, we’re still not entirely sure why this is even occurring. It’s not yet well established, why such a rapid change, and such a huge change is happening”.
Reference- BBC, ScienceAlert Report, journal Earth System Science Data, Futurism