In a surprising turn of events, the Atlantic Ocean is experiencing a rapid cooling trend that has left climate scientists scratching their heads. After more than a year of rising surface temperatures, the ocean's waters have cooled dramatically since May, defying predictions made by climate models and prominent figures like Al Gore, who warned of "boiling oceans." As experts delve into the complexities of oceanic systems, such as El Niño and La Niña, they struggle to comprehend why this sudden shift has occurred, raising critical questions about our understanding of climate patterns and their implications for the future.
For over a year, surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean hit new highs, but that trend has reversed at record speed over the past few months, and none of the experts can explain what is happening.
Atlantic sea surface temperatures have cooled at a dramatic rate since May, according to NOAA data which proves wrong all of the climate change doom mongers including Al Gore who last year declared “the oceans are boiling” during a Davos meeting.
While temperatures have been rising in recent years, the result of a particularly strong El Nino in 2023 and 2034, the sudden cooling off has left the boffins scratching their heads.
Gizmodo report: NOAA data shows Atlantic sea surface temperatures have cooled at a surprising rate since May. Since June began, temperatures have been a degree or two Fahrenheit colder than normal for this time of year.
That means El Niño will likely be replaced by its counterpart, La Niña, a weather system that allows cold water to rise to the surface of the Atlantic, some time between September and November.
Both El Niño and La Niña are complex systems driven by trade winds, solar heating, and rainfall in the tropic regions, and can be difficult to predict.
Still, the sudden shift in Atlantic temperatures has been puzzling, and nobody seems to know why it’s happened so quickly.
“We’ve gone through the list of possible mechanisms, and nothing checks the box so far,” Frans Philip Tuchen, a postdoctoral student at the University of Miami, told New Scientist.
The ocean heat wave was tied to some devastating environmental impacts, including a global coral bleaching that caused stress in over 99% of the Atlantic’s tropical reefs.
Bleaching occurs when there is a change in conditions, leading algae living in the coral to get expelled. The result is bone-white coral, which not only affects biodiversity but also lessens reefs’ ability to blunt the impact of coastal storms and reduce flooding.
El Niño and La Niña have global consequences far beyond altering water temperature. One recent study found that El Niño can cause trillions of dollars in lost GDP worldwide, an effect that can persist for years.