South Florida records ocean temperature of over 101 degrees Fahrenheit, potentially a record

A buoy successful Manatee Bay, Florida, showed an water somesthesia speechmaking of over 101 degrees Fahrenheit connected Monday night, the latest motion of grounds vigor successful the coastal waters.

The National Data Buoy Center, a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, recorded the somesthesia astir 5 feet beneath the aboveground disconnected South Florida's East Coast astatine 10 p.m. ET.

It's a critically blistery speechmaking for an ocean, and is particularly concerning for the coral reefs successful the area, which typically thrive astatine temperatures betwixt 73 and 84 degrees, according to NOAA. And portion it whitethorn beryllium an all-time high, the examination to different apical readings is tricky due to the fact that of however it was recorded.

The existing grounds for hottest water aboveground somesthesia is reportedly 99.7, which was reached successful Kuwait Bay successful the Persian Gulf. Jeff Berardelli, Florida WFLA News Channel 8's main meteorologist and clime specialist, said it's unclear if the latest speechmaking volition beryllium counted arsenic a satellite record.

"These buoys that are wrong Florida Bay — truthful that's to the northbound of the Florida Keys and to the South Florida peninsula — they're each successful precise shallow, murky, acheronian water," Berardelli told CNBC. "Because it's murky, and due to the fact that it's contaminated with sediment, the h2o temperatures are reflective of the information that darker surfaces sorb much heat."

Berardelli said the unsocial qualities of the country mean that "it's not truly comparable to astir h2o measurements, which are successful much wide h2o that whitethorn person a small spot much h2o question — similar tidal movement."

Complicating maters further, helium said, "there are nary authoritative records that are kept connected on h2o temperature." A spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization told CNBC that the group's Weather and Climate Extremes archive doesn't presently way oversea aboveground temperatures.

Regardless, readings successful South Florida person been extreme. Berardelli said 2 different sites successful the Florida Keys had caller temperatures of 98 oregon higher, "which substantiates the information that this sensor was apt either close oregon it was disconnected by a degree, but adjacent if it's disconnected by a degree, it's inactive adjacent to a satellite record."

The heat, which has penetrated Florida's water waters for the past respective weeks, presents large biology concerns, said Phanor Montoya Maya, a marine biologist and the restoration programme manager for the non-profit Coral Restoration Foundation.   

"If h2o temperatures remain above 84 Fahrenheit for a important period, corals volition statesman to acquisition stress and volition commencement to bleach," robbing them of nutrition they request to survive, Maya said successful an emailed statement.

While corals tin retrieve from bleaching, for that to hap they request water temperatures to instrumentality to mean levels.

"Water temperatures are present truthful elevated that it is apt becoming an existential menace for adjacent the hardiest of corals connected Florida's Coral Reef," Maya said. "Unfortunately, the h2o is present truthful blistery that we are seeing immoderate corals dice arsenic a effect of heat stress."

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