The temperature of the world’s oceans has suddenly risen in the past few weeks to a much higher than record level, raising concerns among scientists trying to explain this phenomenon and whether it portends an increase in climate warming.
Some scientists believe that the jump in sea surface temperatures may be due to the natural weather condition of the “El Nino” phenomenon, in addition to the three years of the cold “La Niña” phenomenon, all in addition to the increasing global warming that heats the deep waters, reports Al-Rai daily quoting from Al-Hurra news.
And if what scientists believe is correct, ocean temperatures this month could be record. From early March to this week, the global average sea surface temperature of the oceans jumped by nearly two-tenths of a degree Celsius (0.36 degrees Fahrenheit), according to a University of Maine climate analyst used and trusted by climate scientists.
The number may seem small to some, says climatologist at the University of Colorado Chris Karnauskas, but for the average world’s oceans, which represent 71 percent of the Earth’s surface, it is a huge number.
But there are scientists who dismiss the concerns, such as Michael Mann of the University of Pennsylvania, who says it is just a growing El Niño phenomenon in addition to a steady increase in human-caused warming.
And “El Nino” is the natural warming of parts of the tropical Pacific Ocean that changes the weather around the world and leads to a rise in global temperatures, while from the other side of the world, the cold “E; Nina” phenomenon prevailed and lasted for three years and caused severe weather.
Other climate scientists, including NOAA oceanographer Gregory C. Johnson, say that not only does El Nino appear to be responsible, but there are many marine heat waves or patches of ocean warming that don’t fit the pattern. El Niños, such as those found in the North Pacific Ocean near Alaska and off the coast of Spain.
This is an unusual pattern, according to Princeton University climate scientist Gabe Vicki. “This is a huge signal, and it’s going to take work to understand,” he says.
Scientist Chris Karnauskas of the University of Colorado has measured sea surface temperatures over the past few weeks and found that the rise comes from a long stretch across the equator from South America to Africa, including both the Pacific and Indian oceans.