Hurricanes, typhoons and tropical storms may聽be more powerful than usual this year thanks to a record-breaking spike in global ocean temperatures.
The global average sea surface temperature hit a record high of 21.1掳C on 1 April, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US and .
This beats聽the previous record of 21掳C set in March 2016, and is more than 0.5掳C warmer than is typical for this time of year, according to the 30-year average.
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鈥淭he sea surface temperatures that we are seeing right now are really far outside of what we would normally see,鈥� says at the University of St Thomas in Minnesota. 鈥淚t is really a remarkable record-breaking that we are seeing at this moment.鈥�
The temperature spike is a sign of the impact of climate change on the world鈥檚 oceans, which for decades have absorbed the bulk of the excess heat caused by carbon dioxide emissions. Research shows the.
For the past three years, the world鈥檚 climate has been in a La Ni帽a phase, which has a short-term cooling effect on water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. NOAA declared that the , which may be another reason for the spike, says at NOAA.
The warmer waters could turbocharge severe weather such as hurricanes, typhoons and extreme rainfall in the coming months.
Hotter oceans release more moisture and heat into the atmosphere, , says at the University of Exeter, UK. 鈥淲armer ocean temperatures mean more moisture in the atmosphere鈥� that leads to more energy available for tropical storms,鈥� he says. 鈥淗istorically what we would see is not necessarily more hurricanes, but they are higher intensity.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 definitely the potential to drive more intense hydrological activity in the atmosphere as the oceans warm,鈥� says at the University of Reading, UK.
An expected transition to an El Ni帽o pattern within the next few months will bring even higher sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific, making it likely global average sea surface temperatures will remain high for the rest of the year, according to NOAA.
Although stronger storms and more extreme rainfall are made more likely in parts of the world by warming oceans, the return of El Ni帽o could have a dampening effect on the number of storm systems that are able to form this year. This is because El Ni帽o brings stronger wind speeds over some of the world鈥檚 oceans, such as the Atlantic, helping to dispel storm systems before they can fully develop.
鈥淚f I were to predict what would happen for this year鈥檚 storm season, I would say there will be fewer storms than the last three years, but we definitely could still have powerful storms that make landfall,鈥� says Abraham.
