Map Shows Vast Regions of Ocean Are Warmer

Changes in Sea-Surface Temperature Since 1900

By Mark Fischetti  

Most people equate global warming with the atmosphere, but detailed mapping shows that many regions of the world’s oceans are heating up, too. 

Data compiled and plotted by Marinexplore in Sunnyvale, Calif., show that sea-surface temperatures across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans are up by about 1 degree Celsius and as much as 2 degrees C in certain spots (see map below).

The warming is not uniform, and parts of the Southern Ocean around Antarctica have actually cooled. 

Temperature changes are more mixed in the Arctic Ocean, up as much as 2 degrees C in some spots and down by 2 degrees C in others.

Roberto De Almeida, an ocean data engineer at Marinexplore, also notes that the Atlantic and Pacific oceans are heating up as deep as 700 meters and beyond. 

For graphics on that trend, see “Deep Heat Threatens Marine Life” in the April issue ofScientific American.

scientificamerican.com