A new study out of the Marine Institute is looking at why waters off the province are warming.

Researchers are looking into marine heat waves that occurred on the Newfoundland and Labrador shelf in 2023.

The study, which looked at data from July to October of that year, found that a series of marine heat waves occurred during that time.

Co-author Dr. Frédéric Cyr describes the ocean as being like a cake, with the top layer absorbing heat from the sun.

He says when the top layer is thick, normal temperatures can be maintained. An increase in freshwater at the surface, combined with less wind to mix the ocean layers, resulted in a much thinner top layer in 2023. He says the sun made that top layer “very hot,” although the layer below it remained cool.