Unexplained warming of the oceans, coupled with El Niño, worries scientists

Global sea surface temperatures hit a record high this month. A month earlier, sea surface temperatures off the east coast of North America were 13.8 degrees Celsius above the 1981-2011 average.

Never before have the oceans warmed up so quickly and so much. How this happens is not entirely clear. But scientists fear the consequences.

More extreme weather conditions

“Why such a rapid and massive change is happening is not yet known,” says study lead author Karina Von Schuckmann, an oceanographer at Mercator Ocean International, at the BBC. “I can’t tell if it’s climate change, natural variability or a combination of the two. But we see the change.

Warmer oceans could have a serious impact. They can kill marine life, lead to more extreme weather, and raise sea levels. Plus, they make it harder for them to absorb greenhouse gases, which makes climate change worse.

Meteorologists also expect a strong El Niño, a weather system that warms the oceans, to be imminent in the coming months. Combined with the results of the new study, this could push global temperatures to alarming new levels, the researchers fear.