Oceans Are Heating Fastest in Two Global Bands, Alarming Scientists and Marine Communities

New research has revealed that the world's oceans are heating faster in two distinct bands encircling the globe, with potentially profound implications for climate patterns and marine ecosystems. These unexpected bands are located near 40 degrees latitude in both the southern and northern hemispheres. The fastest warming is occurring at 40 to 45 degrees south, with the effect especially intense around New Zealand, Tasmania, and the Atlantic waters east of Argentina. A second significant warming band exists at approximately 40 degrees north, most notably affecting waters east of the United States in the North Atlantic and east of Japan in the North Pacific.

This striking pattern has developed since 2005 and is linked to poleward shifts in the jet stream—the powerful westerly winds in the upper atmosphere—and corresponding changes in ocean currents. Scientists note that such concentrated ocean heating can disrupt marine ecosystems, increase atmospheric water vapor (a potent greenhouse gas), and fuel more intense rainfall and extreme weather events.

The discovery sheds new light on how global warming is not uniform, as previously thought, but is characterized by rapidly changing hot spots that could reshape weather patterns and threaten marine biodiversity in affected regions.