Part of the Atlantic is cooling at record speed and nobody knows why - New Scientist

Part of the Atlantic is cooling at record speed and nobody knows why

After over a year of record-high global sea temperatures, the equatorial Atlantic is cooling off more quickly than ever recorded, which could impact weather around the world

NewScientist.com | James Dinneen | 19 August 2024

Over the past three months, the shift from hot to cool temperatures in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean has happened at record speed. This emerging “Atlantic Niña” pattern comes just ahead of an expected transition to a cooler La Niña in the Pacific Ocean, and these back-to-back events could have ripple effects on weather worldwide.

The swing towards cooler temperatures in both oceans is a welcome change after more than a year of record heat at land and sea, largely driven by the rise in greenhouse gas emissions and a warm El Niño pattern in the tropical Pacific Ocean that developed in mid-2023.

“We are starting to see that the global mean ocean temperatures are going down a bit,” says Pedro DiNezio at the University of Colorado Boulder. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), global sea surface temperatures this past July were slightly cooler than in July 2023 – ending a 15-month streak of record-high average ocean temperatures...more
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2444394-part-of-the-atlantic-is-cooling-at-record-speed-and-nobody-knows-why/
ALT: https://archive.is/jqxFQ