In April 2023, ocean surface temperatures reached an all-time high, breaking all records
Temperatures have reached the global averagevalues 21.1 °C in the first days of April. The previous record of 21°C was set in March 2016. Both are more than a degree above the global average from 1982 to 2011, which is about 20.4°C in early spring, according to the University of Maine.
This anomaly is the result of heat accumulation due toclimate change. It is no longer suppressed by La Niña, a natural ocean cycle of cold surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific that lasted for three years but ended in March.
Sea surface temperature graph with 2023 in bold black and 2022 in orange.
The middle dotted line representsaverage value from 1982 to 2011. Image Credit: Climate Reanalyzer, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License Creative Commons License
Climate scientists are still trying to figure out howOcean warming will alter the typical La Niña and El Niño cycle, but all experts now agree that extreme events in both directions will become larger and more frequent. Strong El Niños and accompanying high sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean will double in frequency by the end of the 21st century. This means that they will occur every 10, not 20, years.
Map showing sea surface temperatureas of April 13, 2023. Warmer colors indicate warmer temperatures. Image credit: ClimateReanalyzer.org, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Current extreme events are already having an impacton the life of the ocean. Marine heatwaves, when ocean temperatures in a particular region rise above levels that local organisms can tolerate, are becoming increasingly common. Corals are especially vulnerable.
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Cover: Map showing sea surface temperatures as of April 13, 2023. Warm colors indicate warmer temperatures
Image credit: ClimateReanalyzer.org, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License