Climate Change Brings a 'Marked' Rise in Coastal Water Temperatures Around Korea This Summer

[Financial News] Coastal water temperatures in Korean waters have risen markedly as a result of climate change, it has been found.
The National Institute of Fisheries Science (Director Kwon Sun-wook) announced on the 20th that an analysis of satellite observation data found that the average surface water temperature in Korean waters this summer (July–September) was 26.95°C, 1.49°C higher than the 1991–2020 average. This was the second-highest figure, after 27.75°C for the same period last year.
An analysis of coastal water temperatures using the real-time water temperature observation system found that the average temperature along the East Sea and South Sea coasts in August this year was 25.87°C—1.69°C above the average for the past 10 years and 3.42°C above the previous year.
The main reason coastal water temperatures were higher than usual this summer was analyzed to be intensified heating of the sea surface due to heat domes and marine heatwaves associated with the position of high-pressure air masses.
The formation of cold-water masses in the East Sea and South Sea also weakened, while relatively warm offshore waters continued to flow toward the coast, apparently keeping water temperatures high.
Kwon Sun-wook, head of the National Institute of Fisheries Science, said, "Recent climate change has increased the variability and uncertainty of sea temperatures. We will work to respond proactively to changes in the marine environment through precise water temperature observations and forecasts."
[email protected] Byeon Ok-hwan Reporter