14 DAY TRIAL // A new NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) investigation says that, this past year, sea surface temperatures in the Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem were so elevated that they managed to set a new record.
More precisely, specialists say that, when compared to sea surface temperatures recorded in these waters throughout the past 150 years, the ones reported in 2012 were the highest.
The raw numbers are as follows: in 2012, sea surface temperature for the Northeast Shelf Ecosystem reached a whopping 14 degrees Celsius (that's 57.2 degrees Fahrenheit).
During the past 30 years, sea surface temperatures in this part of the world never surpassed 12.4 degrees Celsius (54.3 degrees Fahrenheit).
Because of this, researchers fear that the Northwest Atlantic area is beginning to warm, meaning that spring and summer temperatures in these waters are getting increasingly elevated.
This phenomenon is bound to impact on the stratification of the water column, something which will in turn translate into a disturbance of the patterns according to which nutrients mix in aquatic environments.
“Changes in ocean temperatures and the timing and strength of spring and fall plankton blooms could affect the biological clocks of many marine species, which spawn at specific times of the year based on environmental cues like water temperature,” specialist Kevin Friedland reportedly commented with respect to the findings of this investigation.
Backing up his statements, researcher Michael Fogarty made a case of how, “What these latest findings mean for the Northeast Shelf ecosystem and its marine life is unknown. What is known is that the ecosystem is changing, and we need to continue monitoring and adapting to these changes.”
The data showing this increase in sea surface temperatures in the Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem was collected with the help of satellites and ship-board measurements carried out over an extended period of time.