Scientists Observe Strange Changes Affecting The Waters Surrounding Bermuda

Some troubling changes are affecting the waters surrounding Bermuda. Scientists have observed that the Atlantic Ocean around the archipelago is becoming warmer, losing oxygen, and growing increasingly salty and acidic after 40 years of monitoring.

Since 1983, researchers have been monitoring the water around Bermuda, collecting monthly samples to examine the physics, chemistry, and biology of the surface of the ocean and the depths.

The newest findings of the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (abbreviated the BATS) demonstrate that the ocean water around the islands in the 2020s is nearly unrecognizable from the range witnessed in the 1980s.

According to findings, the surface ocean of the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean has reportedly warmed by about 1°C [33.8°F] over the last 40 years.

Furthermore, the ocean’s salinity has grown, lacking oxygen. Ocean acidity has risen from the 1980s through the 2020s, stated Professor Nicholas Bates, a marine researcher with the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and a professor associated with the Arizona State University’s School of Ocean Futures.

As one might imagine, the shifting conditions could affect the area’s biodiversity. Over the last four decades, oxygen levels have dropped by 6%, which is bad news for aquatic life. Similarly, acidity levels have grown by 30%, affecting animal health, such as organisms’ ability to preserve their shells.

Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory on the North Atlantic Ocean, comprised of roughly 200 islands and around 1,770 kilometres off the coast of Miami.

The Bermuda Triangle, a stretch of sea southwest of the islands that some think is responsible for an unusually high number of boats and aircraft disappearing under mysterious circumstances, is possibly its most famous feature.

On the other hand, statistics and research based on evidence imply that legends of the Bermuda Triangle are more than urban legends. The latest alterations to the sea surrounding Bermuda will not increase the likelihood of mysterious disappearances.

Similar observation stations can be found near Hawaii, the Canary Islands, New Zealand, and Iceland. The experts indicate that they are all witnessing comparable alarming changes in heat, ocean acidification, and salinification.

The observations indicate the rate of change in recent ocean warming and ocean chemistry. They provide important indicators of future developments in the coming decades.

They are also evidence of regional and worldwide environmental change and the existential issues we will confront as individuals and society in the near future, Bates added.

Reference: iflscience

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Source: Maritime Shipping News