TOKYO, Mar 06 (News On Japan) - Sea temperatures around Japan in 2023 were 1.1C higher than the average, marking the highest level since records began, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The agency reports that last year's sea temperatures were the highest in 116 years of recorded data, significantly surpassing the previous record of 0.74°C set in 2021.
Over the past century, sea temperatures near Japan have risen by approximately 1.28°C, with a particularly noticeable increase in the central part of the Sea of Japan, where temperatures were 2.03°C above average.
Professor Hideto Nakamura from the University of Tokyo, a member of the Abnormal Weather Analysis Review Committee, states, "The seas around Japan are among the world's oceans where water temperatures are rising at a very fast pace. A warmer sea tends to increase snowfall and other precipitation."
Experts in climate change are sounding the alarm that the elevated sea temperatures could lead to disaster-level rain and snowfall.