Sea temperatures in New Zealand have reached record highs, three times higher than the global average. Experts say they are concerned about the state of the country’s ecosystem, as well as its marine flora and fauna Guard.
New data from Statistics New Zealand shows that ocean surface temperatures have increased by an average of 0.16 to 0.26°C per decade since 1982, while coastal temperatures have increased by an average of 0.19 to 0.34°C per decade.
Matt Pinkerton, a senior scientist at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, said that when comparing data from the previous 20 years, the rate of warming of the surface ocean around New Zealand was twice the global average of 0.18°C per decade, and in one area – the Chatham Hills – temperatures were three times higher than the global average.
“Intense marine heatwaves can cause widespread ecological changes by reducing the numbers of habitat-forming species such as some seaweeds,” said Christopher Cornwall, a lecturer in marine biology at Victoria University of Wellington.
The world’s oceans absorb approximately 90% of the additional heat from anthropogenic climate change.
Rising ocean temperatures are one factor explaining why storms like Hurricane Gabrielle are expected to become more severe in a warming climate, said Georgia Grant, a climate scientist at GNS Science.
Earlier scientists was recorded The earliest powerful Category 5 storm on record.