Ocean temperatures peaked in February, with an average sea surface temperature of 21.06 degrees Celsius, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Thursday.
The average sea surface temperature in February surpassed the previous record of 20.98°C set in August 2023. Compared to the same period in previous years, February was the warmest on record globally.
read more:
Global Warming: 20.96°C… After Mediterranean Sea, Oceans Break New Surface Temperature Record
Since June, every month on record globally has been the hottest compared to the same period in previous years. In addition to human-caused climate disruption, rising temperatures are the El Niño weather phenomenon, which warms surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean and contributes to rising global temperatures.
“It is surprising that sea surface temperatures are reaching record highs in areas geographically far from El Niño”, said Richard Allen, a scientist at the University of Reading. According to him, this indicates a strong influence of increasing greenhouse gas emissions on the atmosphere. C3S said the El Nino phenomenon was weakening, but air temperatures over oceans remained unusually high.
“Total coffee junkie. Tv ninja. Unapologetic problem solver. Beer expert.”