Climate change: warmer oceans could set off a year of extreme weather, US forecasters warn
- The world’s oceans, especially the Gulf of Mexico, are warmer than average, as a result of climate change
- The high temperatures have affected the Atlantic hurricane season, wildfires from the Amazon to Australia, and record heat and thunderstorms in the US
Parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans all hit the record books for warmth last month, according to the US National Centres for Environmental Information.
The high temperatures could offer clues on the ferocity of the Atlantic hurricane season, the eruption of wildfires from the Amazon region to Australia, and whether the record heat and severe thunderstorms raking the southern US will continue.
In the Gulf of Mexico, where offshore drilling accounts for about 17 per cent of US oil output, water temperatures were 76.3 degrees Fahrenheit (24.6 Celsius), 1.7 degrees above the long-term average, said Phil Klotzbach at Colorado State University. If Gulf waters stay warm, it could be the fuel that intensifies any storm that comes that way, Klotzbach said.
