Photo:JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty
JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty
Researchers say the water surrounding the Florida Keys has registered seemingly record-setting temperatures in recent days, which may have a devastating effect on the region’s ecosystem.
The temperatures rival those of a hot tub, which hovers around 100–102 degrees, Yale Climate Connections meteorologist Jeff Masters told the news agency.
“This is a hot tub. I like my hot tub around 100, 101, (37.8, 38.3 C),” Masters said. “That’s what was recorded yesterday.”
The temperatures are not in line with normal readings for this time of year, which are between 73 and 88 degrees,The Guardianreported, citing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“We didn’t expect this heating to happen so early in the year and to be so extreme,” Derek Manzello, a coordinator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Watch, toldCNN. “This appears to be unprecedented in our records.”
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Scientists in Florida have observed coral bleaching and even the death of some corals in the area’s reef system as a result of the severe warming, per the AP.
NOAA researcher Andrew Ibarra told the outlet “that the entire reef was bleached out” after recently visiting the area in the Keys.
“Every single coral colony was exhibiting some form of paling, partial bleaching or full out bleaching,” he said.
The potentially record-setting water temperatures are part of a trend, according to an experimentalforecast from NOAAissued in June.
source: people.com
