Several shark sightings have been reported along the coast of southern Maine recently.

But according to one expert, the string of sightings doesn’t mean sharks’ presence in the area is increasing — it’s an indication of more public awareness and observation.

On Aug. 1, a shark was spotted at Mother’s Beach in Kennebunk, prompting an alert urging swimmers to evacuate the water.

Then, 10 days later, a great white shark was spotted off the Scarborough coast.

Kyle Oliveira, a PhD candidate at the University of Maine studying large predator ecology, said the spate of recent sightings does not indicate a growth in shark populations.

“Sharks have always been in Maine and Canada,” Oliveira said. “They’ve been here going back thousands of years.”

Oliveira pointed to increased use of social media and shark tracking apps to document sightings. Research has shown that great white sharks tend to hang around southern and Midcoast Maine where there is a more abundant food supply.

“I think that people see a shark nowadays, and it’s a really cool thing to post on social media,” Oliveira said. “We’re seeing a large influx of shark observations because people are more aware of it now.”

Seeing more sharks near Maine beaches also doesn’t necessarily have much to do with global warming, Oliveira said. While the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of the world’s oceans, according to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, the temperature may not have an impact on great white sharks.

Oliveira said great white sharks are one of the few shark species that have the ability to regulate their own temperatures internally, allowing them to survive in both cold and warm water.

However, warming Gulf of Maine waters could have an impact on other marine species like smaller fish and plankton, which could drive sharks to other food sources.

“If we see increases in their prey populations, not just in seals, but in fish, we may potentially see an increase of great white sharks,” Oliveira said. “They’re very food motivated.”

Daryen Granata, a marine resource officer in Scarborough, said it’s not uncommon to see sharks off the coast of Scarborough for that very reason.

“There’s a lot of bait fish and a lot of feed around the area where the shark is hanging out,” Granata said.

While spotting a shark during a beach day may be concerning to those swimming in the ocean, seeing more sharks is actually a great indicator that an ecosystem is healthy, Oliveira said.

“As there is an increase in resources for a species, that species will continue to grow in its population. With an increase in … resources (for prey species), we’ll see an increase in sharks,” Oliveira said. “That’s a really good thing for the ecosystem of Maine.”

Still, it is important for swimmers to be aware of their surroundings and take caution if there is a shark nearby.

“We just want to make sure people have situational awareness when there is a shark in the area,” Granata said.

Many beaches in the area, including Kennebunk, Wells, Old Orchard Beach, Ogunquit and York, have a mobile alert system to help keep beachgoers safe in the case of an emergency, including a shark sighting.

But Oliveira doesn’t want beachgoers to be too scared of sharks to go in the water.

“I’m regularly in the water during the warm months in Maine,” Oliveira said. “Shark biologists love to say that you’re more likely to get in an accident on the way to the beach than getting in the water and getting attacked by a shark. It’s a really, really small probability.”