From a new United Nations report, which contains key contributions from NOAA, we learn that 61 of the world’s 64 large marine ecosystems — large coastal ocean waters adjacent to continents — show a significant increase in sea surface temperatures in the last 25 years, contributing to decreasing fisheries catches in some areas and increasing catches in others.

There is plenty of information on the NOAA site for those interested, but what I found particularly interesting with respect to our own Large Marine Ecosystem – LME#6 covers the SouthEast – are two points:

1. NC’s Albemarle-Pamlico Sound is one of the largest and most productive aquatic systems in NA.
2. The SE US Continental Shelf is one of a few LME’s that have experienced long-term cooling since 1957.