Sea surface temperatures are on the rise around the world, but the problem is pronounced in the estuaries and shallow coastal waters of South Florida.
Sea surface temperatures are on the rise around the world, but the problem is pronounced in the estuaries and shallow coastal waters of South Florida.
In South Florida, estuaries have experienced rapid warming over the past two decades. These temperature changes have outpaced trends elsewhere in the ocean, according to a series of studies published by researchers at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science (CMS) and National Park Service.
Using satellite data, the researchers found that sea surface temperatures in four estuaries in South Florida have risen faster than sea surface temperatures in global oceans and the Gulf of Mexico. The findings, published in Environmental Research Letters and Estuaries and Coasts, paint a troubling picture for the marine life that calls Florida home.
“The temperatures in South Florida estuaries are not only rising faster than the global average, but also faster than temperatures in the open Gulf of Mexico,” said Chuanmin Hu, professor of physical oceanography at CMS and co-author of the recent papers. “We even saw more of a response within the estuaries to last year’s marine heat wave.”
Read more at University of South Florida
Image: Temperatures in South Florida estuaries are rising faster than those in the Gulf of Mexico and global oceans. (Credit: USF)
