Warmest oceans on record Could Set Off a Year of Extreme Weather

http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/environment/warmest-oceans-on-record-could-set-off-a-year-of-extreme-weather/article/570427

By Karen Graham Apr 18, 2020


The world’s seas are simmering, with record high temperatures spurring worry among forecasters that the global warming effect may generate a chaotic year of extreme weather ahead.

Our planet has already experienced its hottest January and second-steamiest February in recorded history, while March 2020 was almost 2 degrees Centigrade warmer than the average between 1981 and 2010.

What is worrisome is the ocean surface temperatures around the world. Parts of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans all hit the record books for warmth last month, according to NOAA's U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information.

Parts of the tropical Atlantic Ocean, central Indian Ocean, and parts of the northern and southwestern Pacific Ocean had temperatures that were 1.5°C (2.7°F) above average or higher. This could have far-reaching implications looking ahead.

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This year, the chance of an El Nino developing is small, and scientists are theorizing that this may be due to global warming's impact on sea surface temperatures. El Nino “depends on contrasts, as well as absolute values of sea-surface temperatures,” according to Kevin Trenberth, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Should sea surface temperatures over the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico remain warmer than usual, we could see stronger and more frequent tropical cyclones when the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season begins on June 1.

The NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information chief Deke Arndt sums it up, according to NY Daily News: “Long-term warming is a lot like riding on an escalator — the longer you stay on the escalator, the higher you go. El Niño is like standing tall and crouching down as you’re riding up that escalator.”