Blazing Temperatures Boil Florida

Relentless high temperatures across the southern United States have sent several coastal regions of Florida to boiling temperatures. Major ocean areas around the peninsula recently reached shockingly high temperatures of 96 degrees Fahrenheit. The extraordinarily high temperatures are completely atypical preceding many negative consequences for the nearshore wildlife, resource sustainability, and habitat stability of the region. 

Global warming is a major component of high temperature contributions, in addition to the settling of a warm weather dome across much of the United States this past month. The bath-like coastal waters are setting record breaking temperatures and may be foreshadowing of many similar events in the future, expected to impact the region. 

Florida Reaches Record Temperatures

The high 90 degree recorded water temperatures are more than 15 degrees above the average conditions for the coastal region. Water is an incredibly stable fluid element, only changing temperatures under extreme fluctuation pressures. The heat dome that settled around Florida caused the immense heat conditions that forced the nearshore water temperature to near 100 degrees. While the high water temperatures are only a temporary effect of the peculiar weather phenomena, the lasting effects could be devastating. 

Florida hosts an incredible array of nearshore wildlife, habitats, and resources that may all suffer from the high temperatures. The coral reefs in Florida are already incredibly fragile after many past bleaching events have left them exposed to continued damages. Loss of coral species is sometimes irreversible as they are slow growing organisms that rely on specific water temperature and salinity conditions. Coral reefs support all of the other ecosystems in the ocean by providing stable strata, habitats, and resources for reef fish and microorganisms. With the current temperature conditions and future projections, it is likely to result in significant loss of the already sparse reef. 

When temperatures increase past the threshold tolerable by corals, they succumb to the environment in what is known as a bleaching event. These events leave the bleached, white remains of the coral skeletons devoid of life. Fish and other previous inhabitants are forced away from the reef, bringing all of the upper ecosystems with them. Resulting habitat loss greatly deteriorated many of the fisheries relied upon by Floridians and the rest of the country. Only time will tell what the complete scope of loss will entail from this severe temperature event. 

The high temperature trends are expected to continue into late August and unfortunately coincide with the area’s hurricane season. This is another factor many meteorologists are keeping an eye on as warmer sea surface temperatures can exacerbate and accelerate cyclonic storms. The Gulf of Mexico and bordering states are prone to severe weather events that pass through the area, and these past month’s conditions are expected to continue that trend.  

Human Fueled Climate Change

Severe events like the localized warming observed in Florida have become more common over the last 75 years as human induced climate changes are beginning to affect major weather stability. With the onset of rapid industrialization of most of the world there have been significant increases in greenhouse gas emissions. These greenhouse gasses pollute the atmosphere and increase the carbon dioxide concentration in the upper atmosphere. Carbon dioxide traps heat which is reflected and reabsorbed by the surface of the Earth and especially the oceans. 

With increased heat trapping greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, human activities are further accelerating global warming and events similar to this past month in Florida. Other effects caused by the localized global warming events may include more intense tropical storms driven by the high temperatures of the surface seawater in the Caribbean. These environmental fluctuations are likely to continue in frequency and intensity as global warming trends have not been abated and surface temperatures continue to rise.

Other regions of the United States are also experiencing the effects in the form of flooding, heat waves, wildfires, and other associated high temperatures. Global warming does not only affect the coastlines, beaches, and nearshore waters as it has implications for the entire topography of the world. 

Solutions to the Temperature Rise

As events like the extraordinary temperature conditions of the southeastern United States continue to happen, scientists and environmentalists continue to search for solutions. Most of the ideas being studied are for better understanding at the remedy of such events, as the cause is most often associated with the unfortunate byproducts of modern human activities. 

Remedies for heat events like that observed in Florida are focusing on coral retainment and recovery efforts, although concerns suggest there could be a mass fatality event of more than 90% of the living species in southern Florida. There is already an ongoing coral recovery program in southern Florida experimenting with coral plantation, genetic modification, and reef restoration projects. Many of these projects have been underway for more than 5 years and had seen phenomenal successes up until this event. Most coral restoration projects were focused on developing artificial reefs for corals to attach to, which would establish corals in barren areas and provide better natural barriers to incoming storm surge. 

All of these solutions are futile in environmental heat stress, because of the fragility of the coral species and their environmental relationship. It does not matter how many corals are planted, or reefs restored, if the ocean temperatures do not return to normal levels. The other striking outcome from continued events like this are naturally selecting out most of the nearshore coral species that are more sensitive to changes, and leaving those that dwell in deeper waters. 

Hurricane Ian’s Impact Lingers Amidst Climate Change Implications

Hurricane Ian quickly developed into one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit Florida since 1935, and one of the worst natural disasters in recent years for the United States. Damages from the hurricane are still being evaluated with early estimates totaling more than $60 billion USD alone in damages to infrastructure and properties. This large category 4 hurricane slammed into the Florida coast toward the end of September resulting in significant coastal damages, inland flooding, massive runoff, and large community displacements. Florida experiences many hurricanes each year, but it is now clear that the severity of the storms is increasing as they are exacerbated by the effects of climate change. 

Hurricanes are a natural aspect of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico geography, as conditions in late summer and early fall often generate cyclonic storm cells. A majority of south Florida lies at or below sea level putting many areas at increased risk for minor swells and ocean surges, regardless of storm activities. Florida has invested significant federal and state funds into coastal defense barriers like sea walls, sand dunes, foundation fortifications, and emergency aid response programs. These efforts seem to mitigate many damaging effects, but their effectiveness continues to wane as warming ocean temperatures increase the intensity of these Atlantic storm cells.

Climate change has a variety of negative effects on Earth, specifically intensifying the strength and frequency of destructive storm cell activities. Warmer coastal waters increase surface evaporation, rapidly accelerating hurricane wind speeds and the overall strength of the hurricane. Factors like warming climates, more intense storms, and continued development along the coast of at-risk regions like Florida have also increased the susceptibility of people and infrastructure to extensive storm damage. 

President Joe Biden addressed the nation after surveying the damages of the fierce storm, highlighting its similarities to many other significant natural disasters affecting other regions of the country. He indicated how climate change is responsible for many of the extensive damages caused by this storm, the fires in the midwest, and water shortages on the west coast. The increasing vulnerability of many regions affects more than the durability of the infrastructure, also implicates community health and long-term safety. 

As the aftermath of Hurricane Ian continues to be surveyed, it is clear this storm has impacted a multitude of resources, regions, and people across Florida. Many of Florida’s main waterways are now filled with contaminated pollution as a result of the upstream storm surge inundation and coastal runoff. Organic matter, chemical pollutants, and refuse washed off the land from torrential precipitation leading to additional negative environmental impacts. Environmental scientists suggest the pollution could damage aquatic ecosystems posing short-term dangers to human and resource health, while also subjecting these fragile ecosystems to additional long-term challenges. 
With the increasing intensity and frequency of storms like Hurricane Ian, similar events are likely to become more normal in the future. For at-risk regions, preparing the necessary infrastructure and response teams is vital to adequately handle estimated damages. These damages include factors impacting infrastructure, human health, environmental well-being, and long-term effects. Over the past decade, the United States has already had multiple examples of these effects as climate change continues to increase natural disaster intensities and frequencies.