DELAWARE-Â The oceans off the shore of Delaware are a bit warmer than usual.
A "marine heat wave" is effecting the waters- and those warmer waters can have a large impact on Delaware's ecosystem.
The waters are currently 4 degrees Celsius warmer than normal- or around seven degrees Fahrenheit.
Dr. Xinfang Liang is a professor of physical oceanography at the University of Delaware, and says this is happening more often.
"The current understanding is that over the past 100 years, on which we have relatively good data on, you can see a trend of the number of marine heatwaves increasing and the intensity of the marine heatwaves is increasing," he said.
Dr. Liang added that a marine heat wave can be caused by a number of things, including ocean currents. He also added that the warmer water could potentially lead to more powerful storms.
Suzanne Thurman of the MERR Institute says there is reason for concern, as marine heatwaves can impact marine animals.
"When their prey source either dies from the heat or moves elsewhere, marine mammals and sea turtles are left with no food to eat and will starve to death, as was evidenced in sea lions and gray whales on the west coast," she said. "It will also affect sea turtle nesting patterns."
There is no set timeline on when this particular marine heatwave will come to an end.