As I delighted in the 76 degree water today at Fletcher Cove, and 74 degrees last week, I started to remind myself that this is not necessarily a good thing. Yes, we love to boogie board and body surf in the warm water. It is just fantastic, and people that don't normally go in the ocean are even checking it out. What's wrong with warm water? It's just another indicator of how man is causing climate change.
The ocean waters are the warmest they have been in 130 years. This is a worldwide phenomenon. The average water temperature worldwide was 62.6 degrees this summer, according to the National Climatic Data Center. The Gulf of Mexico, where warm water fuels hurricanes, has temperatures dancing around 90. Most of the water in the Northern Hemisphere has been considerably warmer than normal. The Mediterranean is about three degrees warmer than normal. The phenomena is most noticeable near the Arctic, where water temperatures are as much as 10 degrees above average. This could contribute to melting sea ice from below and even cause thawing of ice sheets in Greenland.
Meteoorologists say there is a combination of forces at work. A natural El Nino weather pattern, on top of worsening man made global warming, and a dash of random weather variations. The resulting ocean heat is already harming threatened coral reefs.
Breaking heat records in water is more ominous as a sign of global warming than breaking temperature marks on land, because water takes longer to heat up and does not cool off as easily as land. This warm water we're seeing doesn't just disappear next year. It'll be around for a long time.
So next time I go to the beach and enjoy this amazingly warm water we're experiencing, I'll think twice. First, I've got to admit I love it, and second, I understand that it's probably not a good thing for our planet globally. But for now, I'll just enjoy it.
One more thing, for those who read my review of of the new movie, Play the Game, it will be opening on September 11 at the La Jolla Landmark Theatres. I hope you have time to see it.
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