The North Sea reached its warmest temperature yet in 2023.
In 2023, the North Sea experienced its warmest temperature since records began at the Biological Station Helgoland of the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Bremerhaven. The average water temperature for that year was almost 12 degrees. According to the institute, this was the highest recorded temperature since the "Helgoland Reede" long-term data series began in 1962. This phenomenon can be attributed to climate change, which may have significant impacts on the ecosystem.
Furthermore, scientists noticed that the North Sea had even higher temperatures in 2024. According to the Alfred Wegener Institute, January, February, March, and April of that year were among the ten warmest months registered since 1962. Interestingly, March 2024 had an average water temperature of 6.9 degrees Celsius, making it the warmest March ever recorded.
The connection between the monthly temperatures in the German Bight and those on the German mainland has been observed. Professor Karen Wiltshire, the director of the Biological Station Helgoland, explained why the North Sea is warming up so quickly. "The North Sea resembles a large puddle surrounded by land masses, which is why the temperature trends for the mainland are entirely in line with those for the water temperature," she said. The institute suspects that marine heatwaves could affect not only the surface waters but also the habitats on the seabed.
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The unprecedented warmth in the North Sea during 2023 and 2024 has been classified as "scarce" instances of extreme climate phenomena by environmental experts. Despite these record-breaking temperatures, maritime scientists are facing challenges in predicting the longevity of these trends due to the complexity of oceanic climate systems and the changing climate degree.
