Record ocean heat and tropical impacts
Our summer has certainly been filled with some scorching temperatures across our area and most of the country. Just this week, there have been excessive heat watches and warnings as well as heat advisories with some places feeling like 115 degrees.
It is not just the land that has been heating up. In fact, when we look at sea surface temperatures (as an average) across the globe, they have also been warming. The period of April up until August 2023 has been the hottest on record and by a wide margin.
The impact of the warmer oceans is wide-reaching. However, one of the most concerning areas has been related to coral reefs. We have seen a slew of bleaching alerts over the summer stretching from the Bahamas to the South America coast. The red colors indicate where the corals are bleaching and could, thus, die.
When the ocean warms, it can lead to more fuel for tropical storms to strengthen and rapidly intensify. We also see impacts to fisheries who depend on marine life around the reefs. If the reefs are dying, the fish may move out of the area, which can then lead to an economic toll.
Unprecedented warming is certainly a concerning trend that is not likely to change any time soon. There are coral restoration efforts underway, but we need to do more in order to mitigate the potential impacts of this scorching heat.
