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

Scientists monitoring the waters off California have recorded an unprecedented rise in ocean temperatures beneath Monterey Bay, with readings reaching 64.72 degrees Fahrenheit (18.18 degrees Celsius) at a depth of approximately 200 feet on October 26, 2026. The measurement surpassed the previous record set during the powerful 1997 El Niño event, marking the highest temperature recorded at that depth in nearly four decades of monitoring. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) announced the findings on October 29, while Phys dot org and Ocean News also reported on the unusual warming and its emerging effects on marine life. The temperature increase is among the clearest indications that the developing 2026-27 El Niño has reached Central California. Researchers have also begun spotting marine creatures normally associated with tropical and warmer southern waters, suggesting that the changing ocean conditions are already influencing the region’s underwater ecosystem.A nearly 40-year record broken underwaterThe measurements come from MBARI’s M1 mooring, a scientific monitoring station positioned in the middle of Monterey Bay, near the underwater Monterey Canyon. Its instru...