Highlights from the Year

• In 2025, the Gulf of Maine experienced its 15th warmest sea surface temperature (SST) year on record (51.3°F; +0.74°F above normal).
• Bottom temperature (BT) ranked as the 11th coolest year on record (-0.38°F below normal), marking a notable surface-bottom contrast.
• Surface warming was strongest during late summer and early fall, with three marine heatwave events between July and October, while bottom temperatures remained relatively cool and did not reach extreme thresholds.
• Long-term trends continue to show rapid warming in the Gulf of Maine, nearly triple the global ocean average at the surface, with the strongest warming occurring during the stratified summer months.

The complete 2025 report is available on the Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s website: HERE

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The Gulfwatch program conducted a transboundary chemical contaminants monitoring effort through the collection of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) at rotating sites across all Gulf of Maine jurisdictions—Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Samples were collected between 1993 and 2012. The preservation of this unique collection provides an invaluable opportunity to:

• gain a regional perspective on the distribution and concentrations of toxic contaminants,
• establish a critical baseline for future monitoring efforts, and
• improve understanding of threats to environmental quality in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy.

Researchers interested in accessing archived samples must submit a research proposal to the Gulfwatch Archive Steering Committee in accordance with the proposal guidelines outlined in the Gulfwatch Management Plan.

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