NOAA scientists detect cooling in Gulf of Maine's deep waters

PORTLAND, Maine — After decades of steady warming, scientists are observing a surprising development deep beneath the surface of the Gulf of Maine: temperatures are starting to cool.

The change, reported by researchers at NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center, comes after years of the Gulf being one of the fastest-warming ocean regions in the world. Now, a shift in ocean currents is bringing colder water into the region, particularly from the Labrador Current.

"Right now, we're thinking the cold spigot is being turned on, which is coming from the Labrador Current," Vince Saba, a research fishery biologist at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, said.

The cooling is most noticeable at deeper levels of the ocean, where many commercial fishing operations focus.

"When the fisherm