Sea Surface Reached Record Levels in 2012: NOAA

The surface temperature in the Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem was the highest in about 150 years, according to data from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The data was from Ecosystem Advisory issued by NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), which reported on the sea surface conditions in the second half of 2012.

The Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) runs all the way from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

The sea surface temperature in 2012 was about 14 degrees Celsius (57.2°F) higher than the average sea surface temperature of <12.4 C (54.3 F) in the past 30 years.

The sea surface temperatures have been recorded since 1854 using ship-board measurements. The temperatures recorded last year were the highest jump ever seen in both long-term measurements and short-term remote sensing.

Warm weather prevailed on the Northeast Shelf from spring of 2012 to September. Then, the temperatures began dipping in October and by the time mid-November arrived, the temperatures fell below-average in the Middle Atlantic Bight, most probably due to Superstorm Sandy. However, by December, the temperatures had reached above-average levels.

Changes in sea surface temperature affect plankton growth and marine life. Many studies have shown changes in the distribution of fish in the past few decades. At least 36 types of fish, many of which were commercially feasible, have been moving northward from the past four decades.

"Changes in ocean temperatures and the timing and strength of spring and fall plankton blooms could affect the biological clocks of many marine species, which spawn at specific times of the year based on environmental cues like water temperature," Kevin Friedland, a scientist in the NEFSC Ecosystem Assessment Program, said in a news release."The size of the spring plankton bloom was so large that the annual chlorophyll concentration remained high in 2012 despite low fall activity. These changes will have a profound impact throughout the ecosystem."