Gulf of Maine is Having 3rd Warmest Year on Record

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Gulf of Maine is in the midst of its third-warmest year on record in a development that could further harm marine life.

The gulf is warming faster than most of the world’s oceans in a well-documented phenomenon. The Portland Press Herald now reports surface temperatures in 2018 are running nearly 3 degrees Fahrenheit above normal.

The warming of the gulf could further imperil North Atlantic right whales, which are down to only about 411 individuals. It’s also bad news for puffin colonies.

Gulf of Maine Research Institute chief scientific officer Andrew Pershing says that level of warming was exceeded only in 2012 and 2016 during the 37 years satellite records have been collected.