Washington: Based on preliminary data made available by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Friday, the North Atlantic hit its hottest-ever level this week, several weeks ahead of its typical annual peak, following the Mediterranean's new record high.
Scientists recently confirmed that July is on track to be the warmest month in recorded history. This news follows confirmation that tens of millions of people have been affected by the searing heat brought on by global warming.
According to our analysis, the average sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday reached a record-high 24.9 degrees C, or 76.8 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Xungang Yin, a scientist at NOAA's National Centres for Environmental Information.
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The early-year record is especially shocking because the North Atlantic typically reaches its peak temperature in early September. According to Yin, the previous record high temperature was 24.89 degrees Celsius in September 2022.
It will take about two weeks for NOAA, which has been monitoring sea temperatures since the early 1980s, to confirm the preliminary findings.
In the midst of a record-breaking heat wave in Europe, Spanish researchers reported Monday that the Mediterranean Sea reached its highest temperature on record.
The Spanish Institute of Marine Sciences, which examined data from satellites used by the European Earth observation programme Copernicus, announced the record temperature of 28.71 degrees Celsius.
Because it is less susceptible to extreme temperature spikes in solitary areas of the sea, those experts claimed they measure the daily median sea surface temperature rather than the average.
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The Mediterranean region, which experienced record-breaking heat in July, has long been considered a climate change hotspot.
According to NOAA's Yin, the sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic is "expected to continue to increase through the month of August," and it is "highly likely" that another record will be broken.
"More than one degree warmer than a 30-year climatological normal, calculated from 1982 to 2011," he continued, referring to the new high temperature of 24.9 degrees Celsius.
Temperatures have generally been warmer than in previous years since March, which is the month when the North Atlantic starts to warm up after winter, with the difference becoming more pronounced in recent weeks.
Due to the effects of climate change brought on by greenhouse gas emissions, the North Atlantic has evolved into a symbol of observation for the global warming of seawater.
The NOAA-differentiated Copernicus programme informed AFP on Friday that it had observed a temperature of 24.7 Celsius on Wednesday in the North Atlantic.
While that was below the program's September 2022 record and slightly below the NOAA level at 24.81 Celsius, a Copernicus spokesman said that record was certain to be broken "this summer."
"At this point, days are all that separate us."
According to Karina Von Schuckmann of the Mercator Ocean International research centre, "this situation is extreme: we've seen maritime heat waves before, but this is very persistent and spread out over a large surface area" in the North Atlantic.
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The expert pointed out that since the start of the industrial age, 90% of the extra heat produced by human activity has been absorbed by the oceans.
According to her, "this accumulation of energy doubled over the last two decades," causing global warming.
Since April, the average ocean temperature has routinely surpassed seasonal heat records on a global scale.
A concrete, striking example can be found in Florida, where waters off the Sunshine State's coast on Monday reached a temperature that is more typically associated with a hot tub: 38.3 degrees Celsius.
The reading might set a world record if verified.
