Sharks could be getting closer to the UK because of global warming, the world’s sexiest scientist has warned.

Geo scientist Rosie Moore has warned that rising sea temperatures are forcing apex predators away from their more traditional haunts in the southern hemisphere to the cooler climes of the north.

Her comments come after a woman was brutally attacked at Rockaway Beach in New York City on Monday (August 7) which left her with a brutal leg wound, losing “approximately 20lbs of flesh” and in a critical condition.

READ MORE: Brit holiday hotspot evacuated as killer shark circles shore sparking panic

New York, like the UK, has a cooler northern hemisphere coastline not normally associated with a large number of shark interactions with humans, but warming temperatures are thought to be behind a change in the big fishes’ behaviour.

The surface temperature of the world’s oceans has this summer hit its highest level ever as fossil fuel burning causes them to warm.

This week they hit 20.96C breaking the previous record of 20.95C reached in 2016, Copernicus climate modelling service reports.

And it’s these rising temperatures that Rosie says are behind a migration of both sharks and their food to the northern hemisphere.

“Research conducted by scientists has revealed a correlation between changes in the distribution and timing of shark captures, particularly tiger sharks, and the ongoing phenomenon of long-term ocean warming,” she told the Daily Star.

“Experts have noted that elevated ocean temperatures are prompting shark species to migrate from the warmer, less densely populated southern hemisphere to the cooler, more populated northern regions.

“Predator-prey dynamics may also drive sharks closer to shore or into new territories, potentially leading to increased interactions with humans, such as instances where sharks follow schools of baitfish in coastal waters.”

She also noted that the ever-rising number of humans raised the likelihood of shark interactions.

She explained: "There has been a notable increase in reports of shark attacks worldwide in the past few decades. However, the significance isn't solely determined by the raw count of these incidents.

"The rate of shark attacks, measured as encounters per million people, is a crucial factor. Considering that the global population has grown from 2.5 billion in 1950 to over 8 billion today, it's conceivable that we may observe a gradual rise in shark attack reports over time."

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