The surface water temperature of the world’s oceans reached 21.1°C on Saturday, on average, an absolute daily record, due to global warming and the El Niño climatic phenomenon, announced today by the European Copernicus Observatory.
The temperature record surpassed the one set in March 2024, of 21.09°C, at a time when the El Niño phenomenon may be the most significant ever recorded, according to scientists.
El Niño is a global climatic phenomenon that arises from variations in winds and surface sea temperatures over the tropical Pacific Ocean.
With this natural phenomenon, which returns every two to seven years, the surface waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific warm, causing substantial changes for months in wind, pressure, and precipitation regimes on a global scale.
The climatic phenomenon adds to a trend of warming oceans, due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
The daily record registered in the month of August is unusual, Copernicus notes in a statement, cited by AFP, because global ocean temperatures “usually reach their highest levels in March and April,” at the end of summer in the southern hemisphere, where the largest ocean areas are located.
The oceans play a regulating role for the climate by absorbing 90% of the excess heat generated by human activity, especially the use of fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal.
“The record is a new clear sign of an ocean subjected to increasing stress,” said Samantha Burgess of Copernicus, quoted in the statement.
“As ocean temperatures continue to rise, the risks to marine ecosystems and coastal communities also rise,” she adds.
The warming of the oceans also increases the risk of extreme weather events, Copernicus notes, noting that a warmer ocean transports more heat and moisture to the atmosphere, which can intensify precipitation and storms.
