The world’s oceans were formed in the last two months Two new entries:
The global surface temperature in May was the highest recorded temperature in May, and the surface temperature in June was the highest recorded temperature in June.
The European Union’s climate watchdog, Copernicus, has warned of record-breaking conditions, particularly in the North Atlantic, where temperatures have reached “extremely high” levels.
– Copernicus writes that we have already entered uncharted waters due to exceptionally warm conditions in the North Atlantic. Analysis.
Many factors contribute
There are a number of factors that have contributed to the fact that temperature records – both on land and in the ocean – have fallen like dominoes recently.
At the bottom is man-made global warming, and the weather phenomenon El Niño has heralded its arrival. On top of that comes inclement weather.
El Niño is a natural phenomenon that occurs approximately every seven years. This event causes the vast Pacific Ocean to warm abnormally, resulting in global temperatures creeping upwards.
The cause of the unusually high temperatures in the North Atlantic is still under research.
However, Copernicus highlights several factors that researchers believe contribute, including atmospheric circulation, air pollution and climate change. The region has also been affected by several oceanic heat waves.
– Here there are many random factors that have contributed in the same direction. Global warming is warming the ocean, and we’ve got an unusual situation at the top, Tore Furevik, professor of climate dynamics at the University of Bergen, tells Talkblade.
He researches climate variability and change in, among others, the North Atlantic, and believes circulation is the most important factor.
Generally surface water is mixed up and down with cooler water by winds blowing over the ocean.
– Less windy than normal this spring and summer. Furevik says this may have contributed greatly to the Atlantic being so warm.
Winds from Africa bring light sand across the South Atlantic that reflects the sun’s rays, he says. Less wind means less sand, which contributes further.
– We’ll have to wait and see
In the analysis, the EU’s climate watchdogs question whether the rise in temperatures in the North Atlantic is a temporary anomaly or represents a long-term trend.
They have no answer.
Since peaking on June 21, temperatures have dipped towards the end of the month but remained above average. This happened after a change in circulation, where the wind picked up.
Compared to El Niño events, conditions have so far been short-lived.
Heat Waves: This graph shows how surface temperatures in ocean areas have been since June 17 this year, compared to average temperatures between 1985 and 2005. Photo: Science Photo Library / NTB
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– We’ll almost certainly have to wait and see how El Nino develops throughout the fall, with unprecedented temperatures in both the Pacific Ocean and the North Atlantic. “What we’re seeing now is more extreme,” says Furevik.
If this is the start of a long-term trend, it will have many negative consequences, including for marine animals, the professor explains.
In the short term, there is great uncertainty and concern associated with this year’s hurricane season.
– Because it’s so intense, we don’t know what hurricane season will be like – does it affect the number of hurricanes and their strength. Here, Furevik says, America is particularly affected.
Based on previous experience, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) expects the effects of El Niño to become more pronounced in 2024. The professor believes that once the effects of the event are over, surface temperatures in the North Atlantic will again drop slightly. .
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