The oceans are also facing an unprecedented heat wave that increases the risk of extreme weather.

By Denise

The heat wave with record temperatures is not only making itself felt on earth.

Ocean waters in the Northern Hemisphere have been unusually warm in recent weeks, with

Sea surface temperatures in these regions reached record highs this summer, according to Dillon Amaya, a researcher at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Physical Sciences Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado.

At times, parts of the Pacific and North Atlantic have experienced between 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) above average temperatures.

Such temperatures had not been recorded for about six decades.

"Some of the hottest temperatures we've ever recorded have been extreme, and they've stayed that way for several months," Amaya said.

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The oceans naturally absorb and store heat, so they serve as reliable indicators of how much the planet is warming.

Several studies indicate that the oceans have absorbed more than 90% of the heat trapped on Earth by greenhouse gas emissions since 1970.

As climate change accelerates the rate of warming of the oceans, scientists are concerned about the possible consequences for marine ecosystems, rising sea levels and extreme weather.

NOAA's annual State of the Climate report, released Aug. 31, found that

, measured from the surface to a depth of more than 6,000 feet,

Rising ocean temperatures are worrying, Amaya said, because they make marine heat waves more likely and cause them to persist for long periods.

“Each marine heat wave will be warmer than the previous one due to the increase in greenhouse gases,” said the expert.

Researchers pay close attention to these temperatures because

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Also, melting ice due to high ocean temperatures can accelerate sea level rise, posing a major threat to coastal communities and low-lying infrastructure.

The NOAA report found that the average sea level in 2021 rose globally to new record highs for the 10th year in a row.

Warmer-than-normal ocean waters also have an effect on the chemistry of the world's oceans, as carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere makes ocean water more acidic.

This acidification, along with lingering heat in certain bodies of water, can have

, said Kathy Mills, an expert at the nonprofit Gulf of Maine Research Institute.

Marine heat waves can, for example, alter the migration patterns of certain species, put more pressure on fish and invertebrates, or even cause invasive species to become established, he said.

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Mills and his colleagues have found that certain species, such as northern shrimp and cod, have struggled with warmer temperatures, while American lobster have fared better with these temperature changes.

"We're trying to understand how this will affect the biology of organisms, the population-level effects of species, and what these changes will mean for the fishing industry in the region," Mills explained.

NOAA forecasts indicate that the current marine heat waves in the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans could last for several more months.

Amaya said this is a worrying sign of things to come if global warming doesn't stop.