Rising sea temperatures around the UK and the potential threat to wild fish

{Earth and Leaf Editorial – Rising sea temperatures around the UK and the potential threat to wild fish}

{extract below}

Rising sea temperatures

Millions across the UK have been enjoying a sweltering start to the summer, but unusually high temperatures at sea could spell trouble for marine and freshwater wildlife. The Met Office confirmed that global sea surface temperatures for April and May smashed previous records, at their highest since monitoring began in 1850.

An ‘unprecedented’ marine heatwave in UK waters

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has classified the abnormally high sea temperatures in UK waters as a ‘category 4’ heatwave. Cat 4 marine heatwaves are described as ‘extreme’ and are rarely observed outside the tropics. Now scientists are concerned about the current conditions in the North Atlantic which may impact wild fish populations in the UK. Off the northeast coast of England and the west of Ireland, sea temperatures are as much as 5 degrees warmer than average over the past 30 years.

Rising sea temperatures are also linked to more extreme storms, amplified by the increased thermal energy which may lead to flash floods across the UK and potentially sewage overflows into our lakes and rivers.

Today’s link to our other pages and posts . . .Links with Great Partners

We at Earth and Leaf support Wildfish . . . http://Today’s link to our other pages and posts . . .