Warmth of other seas for the generally
frigid Atlantic
, at least for these shores.
It had not happened since records were taken in Mar del Plata
, and the data is truly surprising.
The sea surface temperature
reached its historical maximum in January
, of almost 25 degrees, the same temperature that this Tuesday, for example,
was taken in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro
.
The data was revealed by the
Physical Oceanography Office of the National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development (Inidep)
: "The temperature on the sea surface in Mar del Plata during January 2024 increased from the 18.0°C recorded on day 1
to maximum of 24.7°C on the 29th
".
The average here is above 21°.
By then, Mar del Plata was going through a
string of hot days and clear skies
, with temperatures always above 30°.
Spectacular beach days just in the fortnight when the city had the largest crowd.
It remained to know the measurement, which Inidep always reveals monthly, but whoever
got involved then noticed it
;
surfers without having to put on their wetsuits to stay for a long time riding waves and determined bathers, stripped of that indecision that usually appears as soon as the water reaches their ankles, diving in determinedly in search of refreshment, which was precisely what the sea did not have to offer at those hours.
The rise had already been going on since December, when researchers classified the average of the measurements obtained at sea as an "anomaly", since the water temperature during that month was
the highest in the last 10 years
.
"Anomalously warm," they stated in the report issued by the prestigious institute.
The sea surface temperature was 19.7°C.
"It is the third consecutive year with an anomalously warm monthly average, higher than the December average of the complete series," they explained then.
Surfers in Mar del Plata.
In January, the sea temperature was warmer than usual.
Photo Gabriel Bulacio
The data are obtained with
a thermometer
installed at the Naval Hydrography Service Coastal Observation Station, at 5-minute intervals.
To validate the observations, they compare them with weekly measurements taken at the North breakwater dock, where Inidep is based, and with the average monthly climatological value and the monthly quartiles calculated with the records acquired from January 2013 to date.
"The high water temperatures on the sea surface could be a consequence of
high air temperatures
together with skies with little cloudiness, especially since the 22nd of the month," the researchers explained to this newspaper.
Until Tuesday the 16th - they revealed - the temperature oscillated around the monthly average value, established at 21.8°C, and from the 17th
it remained above the threshold
that determines the highest values recorded in the series during the 2013 period. 2024, at 22.8°C, favored by
predominant winds with a component from the North sector
,
high surface air temperatures
(maximum temperatures above 30°C on most days from the 22nd) and the
low presence of clouds
.
"Comparing the main monthly statistics with those calculated from the complete record of the EOC series (2013 to present), during January 2024
the absolute monthly maximum
of the series of 24.7°C was recorded, in addition to the increase of all measurements main statistics, with average deviations of 0.9°C and 1.6° at the minimum," they explained.
They will always be lower at these latitudes, but the maximum recorded on January 29 in Mar del Plata - this newspaper corroborated - occurs some days on beaches in Brazil, such as in Angra dos Reis, this Tuesday, or in Manguinhos, Buzios, this Wednesday,
both cities of Rio de Janeiro
.
The
unusual sea temperature in Mar del Plata
on those days of January dropped on Tuesday the 30th: according to the scientists' reading, it could be due to the
upwelling of colder waters from the bottom to the surface
caused by the persistent action of winds from the sector. NE, which could transport surface water away from the coast.
"The marked decrease in water temperature seems to respond to an upwelling event, caused by the persistence of winds with a northerly component. In these phenomena, the wind generates a transport of surface water away from the coast, causing
the rise of water colder from the bottom
," they said.
These days, after a weekend with a lot of people and carnival and anniversary celebrations, Mar
del Plata recovers its usual midweek pulse
, and ambient temperatures averaging 20° and sea water temperatures averaging 20°. historic, 21°, as if to test before the dive.
Mar del Plata. Correspondent
ACE