Even the deepest, coldest parts of the ocean are getting warmer
Thermometers moored at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean recorded an average temperature increase of about 0.02 degrees Celsius over the last decade. That warming may be a consequence of human-driven climate change, which has boosted ocean temperatures near the surface, but its unclear since so little is known about the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean. The deep ocean, below about 2,000 meters, is not very well observed, says Chris Meinen, an oceanographer at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The deep sea is so hard to reach that the temperature at any given research site is typically taken only once per decade. But Meinens team ...