Florida’s Marine Heat Wave is Next Level, and Part of a Global Pattern

One redeeming factor of the current El Nino is that it favors wind shear over the Caribbean, which mitigates hurricane development, but if a storm does make it through to the superheated Gulf, things could get ugly.

Meanwhile, big implications for marine life.

UPDATE:

I think we may have a new winner. Garfield Bight in very shallow water in Everglades Nat'l Park, SW corner of Miami-Dade county just hit 98.1F for two hours straight. Head scratching hot water over South Florida! Shallow water heats fast but this is a whole new level. pic.twitter.com/DFZHlfmu4b
— Jeff Berardelli (@WeatherProf) July 13, 2023

Tampa Bay Times:

A severe marine heatwave off the coast of Florida has brought a burst of abnormally high ocean temperatures, prompting alarms from marine scientists that the unprecedented heat could further stress an already vulnerable coral reef system.

Water temperatures offshore of Everglades National Park this week spiked to roughly 10 degrees higher than the average summer peak, with some locations approaching a blistery 97 degrees Monday afternoon.

Coral scientists worry if the heat were to stick around even a few weeks, corals could begin bleaching, or weakening, as they expel the tiny algae species living in their tissues. Even if corals don’t bleach, scientists fear, the conditions are already ripe for further stress ahead of pivotal coral spawning expected in August.

New York Times:

Florida’s coral reefs are facing what could be an unprecedented threat from a marine heat wave that is warming the Gulf of Mexico, pushing water temperatures into the 90s Fahrenheit.

The biggest concern for coral isn’t just the current sea surface temperatures in the Florida Keys, even though they are the hottest on record. The daily average surface temperature off the Keys on Monday was just over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, or 32.4 Celsius, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The real worry, scientists say, is that it’s only July. Corals typically experience the most heat stress in August and September.

“We’re entering uncharted territories,” Derek Manzello, an ecologist and the coordinator of NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch program, said.

Fox Weather:

“Normally, we might expect only about 10% of the world’s oceans to be ‘hot enough’ to be considered a marine heatwave, so it’s remarkable to reach 40% or 50%, even with long-term warming,” Amaya said in a statement.

Warmer water temperatures can lead to enhanced tropical cyclones and impact weather patterns around the globe.

NOAA is paying close attention to marine ecosystems, which have suffered from massive fish die-offs and other food web disruptions during recent warm cycles.

The Pacific Northwest and coastal Alaska have seen large populations of fish and crabs disappearing, which could be connected to climate change.

Kevin Trenberth spoke to me about marine heat waves a few years ago.