Photo: Getty Images
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — One body of water off the coast of Massachusetts is warming at an alarming rate, a new study found.
Researchers at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute found that in 2022 the water off the New England coast was the second warmest year on record. The scientists examined the Gulf of Maine's water temperate all the way from its most southern points near New Hampshire and Massachusetts to its most northern point in Canada.
Scientists found the annual average sea surface temperate was 53.66 degrees Fahrenheit, more than 3.7 degrees higher than the forty-year average.
Read More: Londonderry Fire Cleans Up Chemical Spill At Stonyfield Yogurt Plant
"The oceans are actually absorbing about a third of the carbon dioxide that we're releasing so they're doing us this huge service because climate change would actually be worse than it is today if it weren't for the ocean," said Jacqueline Savitz, chief policy officer for Oceana.
While 2021 remains the warmest sea surface temperature year on record, the average sea surface temperatures in November and December of 2022 set new records as the highest monthly average in the Gulf of Maine.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App