Record Ocean Warming: The Atlantic Has Seen Record Breaking Warmth Every Day for Well Over a Year

Ocean temperatures are on the rise at an incredible rate. Graphs of the record breaking warming is sure to astonish as we discuss the impacts of this warmth.

warming ocean
It is no secret the Atlantic is warming at an alarming rate, but just how long have we seen this warming?

The Atlantic Ocean is warming at an astonishing rate. Brian McNoldy of the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science has been compiling a chart of the rise. McNoldy’s chart shows astronomical North Atlantic heating which could have severe consequences for the impending hurricane season.

400 days of record-breaking heating

Since March 2023, the North Atlantic has averaged well above the previous record and has remained significantly above the 1991-2020 mean. As of today, the North Atlantic is over 1°C warmer than the mean. This may not seem like a lot, but this level of warming is cause for serious concern as ocean temperatures influence weather phenomena on both a large and small scale.

With this continuing warming trend, we are likely going to see increased rain and therefore increased flooding as well as more dangerous and frequent hurricanes. The oceans are responsible for distributing heat across the globe using currents and global circulation. As ocean temperatures increase, we will see land temperatures raise.

Increased heat and therefore energy in the ocean will allow for elevated evaporation over the open water. This creates more clouds and rain that make their way onto land. The pineapple express atmospheric river that the US west coast experiences is an example of the ocean influence on land weather. Patterns such as these will be exacerbated with further warming.

2024 is looking to be even warmer than 2023

2023 broke records for having the warmest ocean temperatures on record. However, in just 3 months of 2024, temperatures are already well ahead of last year. In the past year, the Arctic saw significant ice loss due to these incredibly warm ocean temperatures.

It is not just ice loss that is raising sea levels, the warmer oceans are inherently going to raise the sea level. Warmer water expands, taking up a higher volume than cold water. Increasing North Atlantic Ocean temperatures has already encroached on land across the coastal US with more likely.

Atlantic Hurricane season around the corner

Warm ocean temperatures will have serious influences on an active Atlantic hurricane season. La Niña is expected to take over by June, when hurricane season begins. La Niña causes a more severe and frequent hurricane season by weakening wind shear in locations where we see increased hurricane development.

Higher energy content in the North Atlantic will cause greater evaporation and therefore development of stronger hurricanes. The US will be especially vulnerable to severe hurricanes as the typical hurricane track spans from the central Atlantic to the Gulf and East coast.