Record Subsurface Warming In Monterey Bay: MBARI logs 18.18°C at 60m; tropical species move north

NewsScience NewsAfter nearly 40 years of monitoring, California scientists recorded 64.72°F water 200 feet below Monterey Bay on October 26, beating a 1997 record as El Niño brought tropical species into the region After nearly 40 years of monitoring, California scientists recorded 64.72°F water 200 feet below Monterey Bay on October 26, beating a 1997 record as El Niño brought tropical species into the region TOI Science Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Nov 03, 2026, 01:54 IST The measurements come from MBARI’s M1 mooring, a scientific monitoring station positioned in the middle of Monterey Bay, near the underwater Monterey Canyon.

Its instruments have collected oceanographic and meteorological information since 1989, providing researchers with a long-running record of changes in the Pacific. The monitoring system includes instruments attached to a buoy and along a cable extending hundreds of metres beneath the surface.

They measure several environmental indicators, including temperature, salinity, oxygen levels, chlorophyll and ocean currents. On October 26, the temperature recorded at 60 metres, or approximately 200 feet, reached 18.18 degrees Celsius.

This exceeded the previous high recorded on November 19, 1997, during another major El Niño event.According to MBARI senior scientist Francisco Chavez, the latest readings were more than seven degrees Celsius above the long-term average at that depth.

The warming has also contributed to a rise in sea level of approximately 16 centimetres, or 6.25 inches, in the region. Researchers are continuing to examine daily measurements to determine whether temperatures will climb further.What is driving the unusual warming?

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