Scotland's seas 'getting warmer'

Rising sea temperatures may cause heavier snowfalls

Evidence of possible global warming in the seas off Scotland's west coast has emerged, according to scientists.

A team from the Scottish Association for Marine Science said that sea temperatures had increased considerably in recent years.

The researchers said that temperatures from the surface to the seabed between Oban and Rockall - a distance of several hundred kilometres - had risen sharply.

A rise in sea temperature is one of the factors identified by climatologists as evidence that global warming is taking place.

Recent variations

For the past 15 years, scientists from the Scottish Association of Marine Science have been monitoring sea temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean.

Sea temperatures are rising around Rockall

They have found that the top 200m between Oban and Rockall have warmed up by between 0.5C and 1C.

Although they remained cautious about making a direct connection to global warming, they said that the evidence might explain recent variations in Scotland's weather patterns.

The team has pointed to the recent increase in flooding and heavy snowfalls as a possible consequence of rising sea temperatures.

Changing weather

Climatologists say warmer temperatures in the world's oceans put more moisture into the atmosphere.

This is then released as heavy rain or snow, a possible cause for many of the weather-related problems witnessed in recent years.

But the global warming hypothesis remains a controversial one.

There are many scientists who insist the recent weather patterns can be attributed to natural variation in the climate and little, if anything, to do with human influences.