The discovery of a giant thermal pool in the Pacific Ocean | life and knowledge

Higher temperatures, longer periods of weather – none of this leaves our oceans unaffected.

A huge heat pool has now been discovered in the North Pacific Ocean — three million square meters in size and repeatedly arranged as a breeding ground for local heat waves, according to the publication. University of Hamburg.

One such phenomenon became known as the deadly “Pacific Point” in 2014 and 2015. Ocean productivity collapsed, toxic algal blooms occurred, and large numbers of seabirds and marine mammals died. In addition, the event encouraged a severe drought on the West Coast of the United States.

“This heat pool will continue to increase the water temperature in the future, resulting in more frequent and stronger local heat waves in the ocean. This is pushing ecosystems to their limits,” explains Dr. Armeneh Barkhordarian, an expert in atmospheric sciences. Barkhordarian is a member of the Cluster of Excellence “Climate, Climate Change and Society” (CLICCS) at the University of Hamburg.

The last heat wave lasted three years and lasted from 2019 to 2021. The water temperature was six degrees Celsius higher than normal. The team led by scientist Parkordrian has now been able to establish that this extreme event is directly attributable to the man-made increase in global greenhouse gases.

The probability of such a heat wave occurring even without human influence is less than one percent, with a 99 percent probability that greenhouse gases are required.

The losers in warming waters in the North Pacific

Winner in North Pacific Water Heating

The study shows that the temperature in the northeastern Pacific has been rising at a rate of 0.05°C annually over the past 25 years. In general, the temperature of the region decreased less in winter and summer lasted an average of 37 days.

► As a result, there have been 31 marine heatwaves in the past 20 years alone, compared to just nine from 1982 to 1999.

“Intense and frequent heat waves in the ocean significantly stress ecosystems. This not only poses serious risks to biodiversity. It can also cause marine ecosystems to cross a threshold beyond which recovery is no longer possible,” says Armeneh Barkhordarian. “The discovery of heat pool now gives us important information about the likelihood of such events in the future.”