A new report from the Royal Dutch Institute for Sea Research says seawater temperatures are rising more quickly than expected.

Since 1982, Dutch sea water temperature has increased by an average 1.5 degrees, which is three times more than can be attributed to the effects of increased greenhouse gases in the same period.

Researchers on the Dutch island of Texel investigated the higher temperatures and discovered that they are being caused by an increased number of sunny days in spring and summer and an increase in westerly winds in winter. To what extent greenhouse gases have contributed to these weather patterns in the last 25 years is unknown.

The research shows that there are other factors aside from an increase in greenhouse gases which can contribute to climate change on a local level. According to the report, these factors often fail to be taken into account by models that predict the effects of climate change.

(c) Radio Netherlands Worldwide