Sea surface temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit were recorded in Manatee Bay, Florida, this week and would set a modern record for oceanic heat if confirmed.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Data Buoy Center picked up on the heat Sunday and Monday nights.

On Sunday just prior to 8 p.m., the water around the Manatee Bay buoy south of Miami was 100.2 degrees. On Monday at around the same time, the sea surface temperature was 101.1 degrees.

Those temperatures are akin to the level of heat considered safe in hot tubs by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which recommended a temperature of around 100 degrees for adults (and temperatures no higher than 104 degrees) in 1979.

The results have yet to be made official. Water depth, the presence of sea grass and proximity to heated-up land in the Everglades could have contributed to the high temperature and thereby invalidate the reading.

Official world sea surface temperature records are not kept, but previous measurements for other purposes have set unofficial records. The modern sea surface temperature mark was recorded in Kuwait in July 2020 by a National Institutes of Health study, which found water off the coast was 99.7 degrees.

If NOAA upholds the result, Manatee Bay will own the modern record. 

The rising temperatures bode ill for local wildlife dependent on coral reefs. The reefs near the buoy have been suffering from bleaching, in which coral becomes paler and less able to support an ecosystem as the algae that colors the reefs is expelled due to the heat. 

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.