Marine Heat Wave Likely Increases Shark Activity and Shark Population Along the United States East Coast: Experts

Marine heat wave due to climate change may have caused a spike in shark attacks in the US East Coast, including New York, over the past several weeks and months.

A National Weather Service (NWS) expert claimed that the increased shark presence could be a result of climate change pushing animals, which sharks feed on such as seals, closer to the shore.

This is based on a hypothesis involving sea breeze as the driving factor.

The spate of shark attacks come almost seven years ago when the Carolinas coast saw 10 shark attacks amid a marine heat wave within a six-week period.

The renewed phenomenon also led to an interest that Earth's climate, even down to level of weather, could probably dictate the behavior of sharks.

Marine Heat Wave and Shark Activity

(Photo : Photo by Walter Torres )

In an interview with AccuWeather, NWS Meteorologist Joe Merchant mentioned of an ongoing speculations that the rise of sea surface temperatures from June to mid-July caused a phenomenon of what is called "a cluster of attacks."

In particular, the temperature spike saw approximately 3 or 4 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the normal average.

However, there are still no concrete scientific evidence that would suggest that the marine heat wave always led to an increase in shark activity and shark population in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of the US East Coast.

Nevertheless, the weather forecasting company said that Merchant became interested on how the weather could affect the marine animal's activity, considering the higher-than-normal sea surface temperatures.

Also Read: Frequency of Shark Attacks Linked to Moon Phases, Reveals New Study

Recent Shark Attacks

The US has entered its summer season in late June, which is expected to continue until late September.

Even before mid-year, multiple shark attacks have been reported across the country since then, especially in the waters off the Eastern Seaboard.

The most recent of the marine animal attacks transpired on Wednesday, July 13, when two separate yet related incidents occurred in Long Island, New York.

The first attack occurred near Smith Point Beach on Wednesday morning.

It involved a suspected tiger shark that attacked and injured a 41-year-old paddleboarder, who punched the predator and relied in an incoming wave as his ticket way out back into the shore.

The second attack transpired after 12 hours when a 49-year-old Arizona man suffered non-threatening injuries after being attacked in the waters off Seaview Beach approximately on Wednesday evening.

The latest attack makes it the fifth shark attack in two near the coast of Long Island, which has been subjected to extreme heat and dry conditions recently.

Since recordings started in 1837, there are only a total of 12 shark attacks in the state of New York as of Thursday, July 14, according to the Florida Museum's International Shark Attack File (ISAF) database.

Climate Change and Shark Behavior

In a news briefing on Wednesday morning, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone stated that sharks are likely to be getting closer to the shore, especially following the Long Island shark attacks.

Bellone presumed that the attacks could be an event considered to be a "new normal," as cited by USA Today.