Topline
South Florida waters hit triple digits and recorded their highest temperature ever on Monday, and as other parts of the world’s oceans witness record-high temperatures, the risk of higher sea levels and severe storms loom.
Key Facts
Waters in South Florida in Manatee Bay hit an all-time high temperature of 101.1 degrees on Monday, a day after hitting another record high of 100.2 degrees on Sunday.
This temperature is comparable to that of hot tubs, which customers typically prefer to fall in a range of between 100 degrees and 102 degrees, according to hot tub maker Jacuzzi.
Rising ocean temperatures in Florida waters have impacted aquatic life, with researchers finding “100% coral mortality” in some areas.
South Florida isn’t the only place experiencing record hot waters—the Mediterranean Sea averaged temperatures of 83.1 degrees on Monday, the hottest it’s ever been since 2003.
Parts of the North Atlantic Ocean are experiencing a category four marine heat wave—a period with persistent and unusually extreme water temperatures—with some areas experiencing water temperatures nine degrees warmer than usual, CNN reports.
According to the U.K. Met Office, both April and May saw the highest global sea surface temperatures for those two months since 1850.
Big Number
24%. That’s how much faster ocean temperatures are warming up this decade compared to previous decades, according to a study published in Science. It predicted sea levels could rise by 12 inches by the end of the century.
Key Background
Rising ocean temperatures are caused by an increase in concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gasses, which traps heat, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution reports. Greenhouse gasses are released when trees are cut down, fossil fuels are burned and other activities that release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere are committed. Oceans have absorbed around 90% of the released heat since the 1970s, with the water near the surface absorbing the most. This means that oceans have gotten warmer on average by one degree over the past century, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Most aquatic life exists in the upper part of the sea where most heat is absorbed, the National Park Service reports. Warmer temperatures can be dangerous to aquatic life as it holds less dissolved oxygen than cool water, which is needed for sea life to survive. Over half of all coral reefs at the Great Barrier Reef were killed by warm waters between 2016 and 2017, a Nature study reports. Warmer water also increases the potential for more severe storms, as well as rising sea levels. This is due to ice caps melting and warm water expanding more than cool water. Between 1971 and 2010, sea levels rose by eight-tenths of a millimeter each year. Hurricanes only appear in water 80 degrees or hotter, so warmer oceans have the potential to cause more hurricanes. Warm water made Hurricane Harvey—which resulted in over 80 deaths—more dangerous, according to a study published in Environmental Research Letters.
Surprising Fact
Rising sea levels cause more floods, with a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists predicting high sea levels will result in over 300,000 U.S. homes being flooded every week over the course of 30 years.
Seawater Near Florida Reaches Hot Tub Temperatures As It Hits Record Levels (Forbes)
The North Atlantic is experiencing a ‘totally unprecedented’ marine heat wave (CNN)
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