Sea Surface Temperatures on the Rise in the Caribbean
Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the NOAA Cooperative and Remote Sensing Science and Technology Center at the City College of New York studied sea surface temperature in an effort to clarify its importance in IAR climate dynamics. Glenn et al. examined high-resolution satellite data collected between 1982 and 2012 and observed an overall warming trend, with the most significant increase occurring over the past 15 years. Warming was greatest in the Gulf of Mexico, just north of South America, and appeared to coincide with large-scale phenomena like the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the early and late Caribbean rainy seasons.
Such trends point to the correlation between sea surface temperature and large-scale processes—a symbiotic relationship that drives the global climate. The IAR is complicated, but a systematic approach will help scientists build a more precise picture of the climate mechanisms that affect infrastructure, economies, and lives. (Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1002/2015GL065002, 2015)
—Lily Strelich, Freelance Writer
Citation: Strelich, L. (2015), Sea surface temperatures on the rise in the Caribbean, Eos, 96,doi:10.1029/2015EO039535. Published on 13 November 2015.
https://eos.org/research-spotlights/sea-surface-temperatures-on-the-rise-in-the-caribbean