An Instagram post<\/a> with about 8,000 likes claims that a recent drop in the temperature of the Atlantic Ocean shows that climate change is a \u2018lie\u2019. The post includes a screenshot of a headline, \u201cThe Atlantic is cooling at record speed and nobody knows why,\u201d of a report published in The New Scientist, a popular science magazine. Multiple similar posts were seen across various other social media<\/a> platforms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instagram<\/a> | Archived<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n FB<\/a>| Archived<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n We decided to do a fact-check on this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fact Check <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What did we find?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We traced the original The New Scientist report<\/a> published on August 19, 2024, a screenshot of which has been used in the viral posts to deny climate change. We found that not only the report is only talking about parts of the Atlantic ocean as showing an unusual cooling but also has not negated climate change anywhere. We also found that the article is based on some recent NOAA findings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n NOAA found<\/a> that after experiencing over a year of record-high global sea temperatures, parts of the Atlantic Ocean are now cooling off at an unprecedented rate, a development that could significantly impact global weather patterns. Over the past three months, temperatures in the equatorial Atlantic have shifted from unusually warm to noticeably cooler at a record-breaking pace. This rapid transition marks the emergence of \u201cAtlantic Ni\u00f1a,\u201d a pattern characterized by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Reason<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This shift is particularly notable because it comes just before the anticipated onset of La Ni\u00f1a in the Pacific Ocean, a climate pattern known for cooling sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific. La Ni\u00f1a typically follows El Ni\u00f1o and can last for months or even years, bringing ocean conditions that impact weather patterns around the globe. The back-to-back occurrence of the Atlantic Ni\u00f1a and La Ni\u00f1a in the Pacific is highly unusual and could produce significant ripple effects on the world\u2019s weather systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The combination of these two cooling patterns in the Atlantic and Pacific is expected to alter atmospheric circulation, potentially influencing weather phenomena such as tropical cyclone activity, rainfall patterns, and temperature fluctuations across different regions. For instance, La Ni\u00f1a is known to intensify hurricane activity in the Atlantic while often reducing it in the Pacific. Meanwhile, the Atlantic Ni\u00f1a could contribute to changes in wind patterns, which may impact the strength and direction of tropical storms and seasonal rainfall distribution, particularly in regions like West Africa and South America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These emerging patterns may also lead to shifts in global weather extremes. For example, regions that typically experience drier conditions during La Ni\u00f1a, such as the southern United States and parts of South America, may face heightened drought risks. Conversely, areas like Southeast Asia and Australia, which often see increased rainfall during La Ni\u00f1a, could be subject to more intense flooding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given the rapid cooling in the Atlantic and the looming La Ni\u00f1a event in the Pacific, scientists and meteorologists are closely monitoring these developments for their potential to impact global weather systems in the months to come significantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is Atlantic Ni\u00f1a?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Atlantic Ni\u00f1a is the cold phase of a natural climate pattern known as the Atlantic zonal mode. \u201cZonal\u201d refers to patterns that occur along lines of latitude. Like the El Ni\u00f1o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the Pacific, the Atlantic zonal mode alternates between cold and warm phases every few years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this pattern, sea surface temperatures in the eastern equatorial Atlantic follow a distinctive seasonal cycle. Interestingly, the warmest waters are observed in spring, while the coldest waters, typically below 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit), occur between July and August. This fluctuation between warm and cold phases influences regional weather and climate patterns surrounding the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Climate.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Record surface and ocean temperatures<\/p>\n\n\n\n Michael McPhaden, an oceanographer at NOAA told AFP<\/a>, \u201cCooling in the equatorial Atlantic does not contradict the fact that July 2024 was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth due to the relentless rise of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Findings by Climate Copernicus\u2019s research<\/a> also show that average sea surface temperatures were record high in 2024, 21.07C (69.93F), excluding the poles, for 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2023 and 2024, global sea surface temperatures reached record highs, as reported by NOAA data analyzed by the University of Maine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Frankz Philip Tuchen, a researcher at the University of Miami and the author of the NOAA report, gave his opinion on the phenomenon to Science Feedback. Below is his comment: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis part of the Atlantic is following a distinct seasonal cycle with the warmest temperatures observed during March-April (28-29\u00b0C) and coldest temperatures during July-August (24.5-25\u00b0C). So there is always some natural cooling between April and July. However, this year, temperatures in March-April were higher than usual and temperatures in July-August were colder than usual. These warm and cold swings can happen every few years (just like El Ni\u00f1os and La Ni\u00f1as in the Pacific) and are something that we call natural or internal variability of the climate system. Global warming, however, is an external forcing process driven by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. You can think of global warming as a long-term relatively steady increase of ocean temperatures, while the equatorial Atlantic cooling event in this summer is only a short-term event. Usually these events last around 3 months. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n Science Feedback article can be read here<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow us and stay up to date with our latest fact checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Facebook<\/strong><\/a> | <\/strong>Twitter<\/strong><\/a> | <\/strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/a> | <\/strong>Google News<\/strong><\/a> | <\/strong>TikTok<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Conclusion\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXfpCZJsunuCRPJvHR6RvBEbDK0D_1rwFTH7EovLRtNbLwvjgaoNsdHcuMqpXam5xoIkpsJjoYjJRqCwKQPhawRBh6QGruWfkmMJ4GiZTzEua5NGbz9mgR7C-IAGa9KfE3KT9zTquyvC5t_an6X-rT-Oh7auSU0Yxw4IRSUC_CWtOWPRUKNtvg?key=UoGw8Vop5T8EMIJna7jwOw\")
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXdDwib3170VSdvWrl0gjl01a5O-ZAjh8syeZdj-paHYyHhl3bXtvIQamKPcedIJcO4pisdfDXtOXR2pkBLYyyfOmNMiPv-e4cIF4vlJXVt0JKSZDniuev3UqgcBATPVPJSlMfWjTmeasnJI4TDL_8Iewm4ruFBw8k8uagNnCfp3floRAGc5bw?key=UoGw8Vop5T8EMIJna7jwOw\")
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXdvm2BA7DuazXJsZ09v6YuXRjJarto65PS33MakRLLOjhhq4UlgBXCXakEEyYUosKOeYu0TR1YpZeUWoT80nU2GwzhLYx5HPtXb5YAtHxiMvtJ1nx9OVlrvm8-e0sF52-zDRxlsHjgWSncxiqm00CXsq-kKZ7RMkKVrd1kK8vGVa2QLXpVy9g?key=UoGw8Vop5T8EMIJna7jwOw\")