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🇦🇺 Australia /Environment & Climate

Ocean temperatures hit 'very troubling' record high, spurred by El Niño

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Global ocean temperatures reached a record high of 21.1 degrees Celsius over the weekend, surpassing the previous record from March 2024.
  • The warming is attributed to a combination of a growing El Niño event and human-caused climate change.
  • Record ocean heat destabilizes weather patterns, threatens food security, and negatively impacts marine life and coastal communities.

The world's oceans have hit a record high temperature, reaching 21.1 degrees Celsius on Friday and Saturday, narrowly exceeding the previous mark set in March 2024. This alarming trend, exacerbated by a powerful El Niño and ongoing climate change, signals significant strain on the global climate system.

Samantha Burgess, strategic climate lead for the European climate service Copernicus, described the situation as "another sign of our climate system under strain and the ocean under immense pressure." The new data, produced by Copernicus, highlights the critical state of marine environments.

This is yet another sign of our climate system under strain and the ocean under immense pressure.

— Samantha BurgessDescribing the implications of the record-breaking ocean temperatures.

Oceanographer Jane Lubchenco, former chief of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, called the record "very troubling." She warned that such warm ocean temperatures destabilize weather patterns, threaten food security, economic prosperity, and marine life, stating, "An ocean this warm is not our friend."

An ocean this warm destabilises weather patterns and threatens food security, economic prosperity and marine life.

— Jane LubchencoWarning about the consequences of record ocean heat.

Warmer oceans become more acidic and hold less oxygen, directly harming industries reliant on marine resources. This warming also alters ocean currents and weather patterns, intensifying storms with heavier rainfall and larger storm surges. In regions like Europe, exceptionally warm oceans amplify heat waves by preventing cooler night-time temperatures typically provided by sea breezes.

While ocean surface temperatures usually peak in March or April due to the Southern Hemisphere's large oceanic mass, this year's record was set in August. Experts anticipate further warming until the current El Niño reaches its peak, expected between November and January. El Niño, a natural but temporary warming of parts of the Pacific, is already substantial and growing, contributing significantly to the ocean's heat alongside the long-term warming caused by burning fossil fuels.

A warmer ocean is not our friend.

— Jane LubchencoA stark assessment of the impact of rising ocean temperatures.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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