After experiencing one of the hottest summers on record in South Korea, it's not that overly surprising that sea temperatures have been staying warmer for much longer.
But according to research, the nation's southern waters have remained unusually warm for nearly two weeks longer than in recent years.
Oh Soo-young reports. South Korea's southern waters have been growing hotter during the summer over the last three decades.
That's according to a research team at the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology,... which found that the number of days from July to September,... of high sea surface temperatures in Korea's South Sea increased by three-point-five days,... every ten years.
This correlates with the general rise in the world's atmospheric temperature-- hovering around nought-point-four to nought-point-five degrees Celsius above the long-term annual average this year.

"Early in July, we had a low temperature but in the middle of the month, the atmospheric heatwave started. So, after that the ocean began to warm and became even hotter than 30 degrees. So it was an extremely hot temperature compared to the average year."

Based on data from 1982 to 2017,... the research team believes the longer period of warm sea temperatures is mainly due to the impact of climate change,... and also the inflow of waters from the northwest Pacific.
It noted how sea surface levels in the southern waters weren't as high as expected in 1994,... when Korea experienced one of its hottest summers on record.
Meanwhile, in 2001, sea temperatures peaked when the northwest Pacific Ocean was relatively warmer,... despite weaker atmospheric pressure.
The research team says Korea's seas are likely to see even more days of hot surface temperatures each year, largely due to the greenhouse effect,... but more research is needed to determine and limit the potential damage of the rising sea temperatures.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.