Hi, I'm Tom Di Liberto, a climate scientist
at NOAA's Climate program office.
So let's start off with a joke, knock knock!
Was it too boring? Of course it's boring Tom it's a knock-knock joke, knock-knock
jokes are boring by definition! Can we start over please?
Great. Hi, I'm Tom, let's talk climate because seriously
2019 has been one hot year. Ya.
The second warmest on record and the 43rd consecutive year that temperatures
were above last century's average.
That's crazy!
The last time yearly temperatures
were cooler than average a Star is Born starring Barbra Streisand and not Lady
Gaga was in the theaters. The last six years were also the six warmest years
since the 1880s. Yeah that long ago!
This trend is completely consistent with what
we would expect in a warming world.
We've got some serious reports of bleaching this year and no we're not
referring to your frosted tips back in 1999...
"Bye bye bye..."
Coral bleaching is what happens
to coral when the water temperature around the reefs stays too
hot for too long and bad things happen. This trend has taken a global turn with
bleaching showing up in places like Hawaii and the Caribbean over the last
year, and Indonesia the South Pacific and along the Great Barrier Reef in years
past. And just like the reaction from your true friends, this bleaching has
raised some real concerns. But seriously as the reefs go so do the fish. So that
means less food for people who rely on fish for protein and for the commercial
fishers who count on the reefs abundance for their livelihood. Coral reefs also
form barriers to protect the shoreline from waves and storms. These same coral
reefs like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, which also suffer from major
bleaching recently, provide a way of life for those involved in the tourism
industry. Creating jobs and pumping millions into the local economy.
The bleaching in Australia along with the recent unprecedented fires make for
several climate change-related extremes to hit the country in short succession.
This is all part of a larger pattern of more frequent and longer-lasting marine
heat waves and we're starting to wonder if we truly have enough box fans to cool
all the fish in the sea. Until next time stay cool and don't forget to check out
the ocean today coral comeback collection to see how we are helping
coral fight back against this rising tide of heat.
Oh that reminds me of a joke,
knock knock...