Temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean have been falling at record speed, yet scientists say they have no idea why.
The latest data shows that the ocean’s surface temperatures have reached an unprecedented low for this time of year
It seems that a strange anomaly has occurred to reverse the summer warming cycle in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Atlantic’s surface temperatures suddenly dropped at a record speed over the past few months.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), data shows that the Atlantic’s sea surface temperatures began cooling in May.
However, scientists say the ocean should be warming up in May, not cooling.
Due to this unexplained shift, the Atlantic has been a degree or two Fahrenheit colder than normal for this time of year.
Oceans are evidently susceptible to many weather changes throughout the year.
Typically during this time of year, the Atlantic’s temperatures are expected to rise because of a complex weather pattern called El Niño.
El Niño refers to a warming of the ocean surface or above-average hotter temperatures in the ocean.
The Atlantic Ocean has been setting new heat records since March 2023.
One key reason for the higher temperatures is an especially strong El Niño that passed during 2023 and 2024.
But it now seems that the Atlantic’s El Niño is likely to be replaced by its counterpart La Niña.
La Niña is when ocean temperatures are unusually cold a little too early in the year.
Both these weather patterns are incredibly complex and are susceptible to trade winds, solar heating, and rainfall.
As a result, they are both difficult to predict.
However, the sudden shift in the Atlantic’s temperatures and its presumed transition into La Niña — which is typically predicted to start in September — has experts quite baffled.
In a statement to the New Scientist, Frans Philip Tuchen, a postdoctoral student at the University of Miami, said:
“We’ve gone through the list of possible mechanisms, and nothing checks the box so far.”
These unprecedented changes are evidently a cause for concern for the environment.
The NOAA says that changes in the El Niño and La Niña weather patterns could impact rainfall in surrounding continents.
The Atlantic Niños have also been shown to increase the likelihood of hurricanes near the Cape Verde islands.
According to Michael McPhaden at NOAA, it could also influence the ocean’s cycles.
The Atlantic could potentially delay the Pacific Ocean’s La Niña in “a tug of war” as the Pacific “tries to cool itself and the Atlantic tries to warm it,” scientists warn.
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