New world record? 38.4°C water temperature in Florida Keys

The waters off the Florida Keys may have detected a new record high sea surface temperature.

It has been incredibly hot in South Florida this year, both on land and in the water. However, an ocean buoy just north of Key Largo in the Florida Keys just recorded an extraordinarily high sea temperature.

The Manatee Bay buoy in the Florida Keys measured a temperature of 38.4°C (101.1°F) at 6 pm local time on Monday 24th July. The buoy is located north of Key Largo and records water temperatures at a depth of 1.5 metres.

What makes this measurement so incredible is that if verified, it will shatter the previous world record of 37.6°C (99.7°F) by nearly a whole degree, which was recorded in Kuwait Bay in the Persian Gulf.

Three other buoys nearby measured temperatures above 36.5°C (98°F), indicating that the Manatee Bay measurement is likely accurate. Many other stations off the coast of southern Florida also experienced alarmingly high water temperatures.

The ocean is currently the equivalent to a hot tub off the coast of Florida, and scientists are concerned about the impacts this marine heat wave will have on the delicate ecosystem in the Keys. Coral bleaching is already underway at a time of year when the corals should be full of colour. This heat wave is also impacting land as well.