World's oceans hit highest temperature on record as El Niño grows
The record "is another clear signal of an ocean under growing stress", according to Dr Samantha Burgess from the European Copernicus climate change service.
The world's oceans have reached their highest temperature ever recorded, according to new data from the European Copernicus climate change service. The average surface temperature of the planet's seas outside the polar regions reached 21.1C (70F) on Saturday, surpassing previous records set in March 2024. This alarming rise in ocean temperatures is primarily attributed to human-induced climate change and the growing El Niño weather phenomenon.
Dr. Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus, emphasized that El Niño is exacerbating the situation, but it is simply adding heat to a system already stressed by decades of human-driven warming. The data, based on sea temperatures 10 meters below the surface, was collected using measurements from buoys, ships, and satellites.
While the margin of record is currently minimal, scientists find its timing particularly concerning as ocean temperatures are already extremely high when El Niño, which further amplifies global warming, is expected to peak. El Niño is forecasted to intensify until Christmas, potentially making 2027 the year of the strongest El Niño in centuries.
The extensive warmth of oceans, coupled with El Niño's influence, poses significant threats to marine life, exacerbates extreme weather events, and contributes to rising sea levels, putting coastal communities at increased risk of flooding.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
