Sharks are feeding at the shore in Florida as the ocean's temperature reaches record highs and the water feels like syrup
- Florida is going through a record-breaking marine heat wave.
- The New York Times reported that the water temperature has been so high that it feels like syrupy goo.
South Florida's ocean has turned into a hot, syrupy goo that's inviting in sharks, local residents told the New York Times.
Ocean temperatures near the shore in South Florida reached a blistering 98 degrees Fahrenheit this week, shattering the previous record and well above the usual water temperature of 87 degree, the New York Times reported, citing data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The agency noted that we're in the middle of the Atlantic hurricane season, and that "developing tropical storms that pass into the region may strengthen as a result of these conditions."
It's not rare for Floridians to see sharks near the shore, especially as the weather gets warmer. But 51-year-old Eduardo Valades told the Times that as the water temperature in South Florida hits record highs, he's seen "one every three or four days."
His wife, Jennifer, added that she had also seen six or seven manatees basking in the warm soupy water.
Other beachgoers haven't even felt cold leaving the water this summer; on the contrary, one resident said "it feels like a jacuzzi," the Times reported.
A marine heat wave is a period of time in which the water temperature is warmer than 90% of previous observations for a specific time of the year, and a marine heat wave can last from weeks to years.
NOAA said that oceans will absorb excess heat as climate change warms our planet and that extreme heat can prove "destructive and deadly for marine systems."
Florida's marine heat wave comes as areas across the southern US and Europe are being hit with record-breaking heat. One Arizona medical center is seeing similar hospitalization levels to the pandemic, according to CNN, and one man died in Death Valley as the temperature hit 121 degrees Fahrenheit.