Warmer ocean waters, both at the surface and deep down, have far-reaching consequences
UMANS HAVE long used the ocean as a dumping zone. Piles of rubbish have accumulated in the sea and endangered marine life. But apart from plastic, oceans and their inhabitants also bear the brunt of human-made emissions and a warming planet. Oceans have soaked upof the excess heat caused by greenhouse-gas emissions in recent decades. One symptom of this has been a gradual increase in the temperature of surface waters, and this year’s rise has been particularly alarming.
Sea-surface temperatures are in fact measured about a metre below the surface by satellites, and the readings are confirmed by ships and buoys. Temperatures usually reach a high in March or early April, after summer in the southern hemisphere—where most of the Earth’s water is located—warms the seas. This year’s average sea-surface temperature started from a relatively high point compared with previous years, because 2022 was already a hot year for ocean-surface temperatures.
There is a lot of head scratching going on among scientists as to what is causing the spike in sea-surface temperatures this year. It is difficult to attribute the changes to a specific effect, because sea-surface temperatures vary naturally, and the unusual nature of the spike is making many reluctant to diagnose its underlying cause.
That said, the biggest role in ocean-surface temperatures is played by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation , a natural phenomenon that influences weather patterns around the world. After an unusually long period of La Niña, one of’s two extreme phases, the Earth returned to its neutral phase at the beginning of March, according to America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a federal body.
In the long term, warmer ocean waters, both at the surface and deep down, have far-reaching consequences. They lead to more rapid melting of the ice sheets, coral bleaching, stronger storms and higher sea levels—owing to melting ice and also because water expands as it heats up. Hotter seas also absorb less heat and less carbon dioxide, which accelerates warming of the atmosphere. The consequences of warmer waters will be felt on land, too.
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