Sea Surface Temperatures in the Northeast Continental Shelf Reach Highest Level in 150 Years
With rising temperatures, melting ice caps in the Arctic and record-setting melting rates of ice in the Antarctic Peninsula, NOAA’s NEFSC has an addition to the list: the rising temperature at the sea surface of the Northeast Continental Shelf reached the highest level in more than a century, last year. According to the report, the sea surface temperature in the Northeast Shelf Ecosystem reached a record-setting 14 degree Celsius in 2012, which is the highest since 1951.
The measurements of the sea surface temperatures were done via both contemporary satellite remote-sensing data and ship board measurements dated since 1854. The data shows that the temperature has increased more than one degree Celsius only five times, and the SST in 2012 saw the highest increase.