Global sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have already surpassed the record levels for this time of year, reached in 2023 and 2024, according to the latest data from the European Copernicus programme, as announced today.
The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts indicated, in a statement, that the daily SST data recorded by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) surpassed the 2024 levels on June 21, at 20.86°C, slightly above the 20.83°C observed in 2023 and 2024.
On the other hand, the Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS) also marked a record high on June 21, when temperatures reached 21°C, 0.1°C above the previous records of 2023 and 2024.
“Current conditions may indicate the start of a new phase that will, once again, lead us into uncharted territory,” warned the director of the C3S, Carlo Buontempo.
Buontempo also stated that, with ocean temperatures at these levels and the El Niño phenomenon on the horizon, “it is likely that we will see temperature records broken in the coming months.”
In this sense, the director of the C3S stated that the data provided by Copernicus “support policies aimed at protecting the marine environment,” although it remains to be seen whether this excess is “temporary or indicative” of conditions in the coming months.
Over the past three years, the global ocean — which includes the marine waters between 60°S and 60°N latitude — registered temperatures between 0.35°C and 0.73°C above the long-term average, and in June these anomalies reached record levels for this time of year.
This level of warming “unprecedented” reflects both climate change and an El Niño phenomenon whose intensity “is likely to reach levels not seen for decades.”
According to the statement, the elevated temperatures recorded generate a warmer atmosphere for longer, provide additional energy to storms and increase evaporation, which raises the risk of “extreme rainfall and floods.”
“It also contributes to sea level rise and to melting ice, and puts pressure on marine ecosystems,” the document adds.
The data obtained, it concludes, were made possible thanks to the “close cooperation” between the C3S — which offers “a broader climate perspective of the Earth system” — and CMEMS, which provides more detailed ocean analyses and forecasts.
