Oceans reach highest temperature ever recorded

The world's oceans are warmer than ever, according to new data, as they suffer from human-induced climate change and the increasing El Nino phenomenon. The average surface temperature of the planet's seas outside the polar regions reached 21,1°C on Saturday, according to data from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. This surpasses the 21,09°C recorded on three separate days in March 2024 and is well above average for the time of year.

The data is based on sea temperatures 10 meters below the surface, using measurements from buoys, ships and satellites, which are combined to produce a global estimate.

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While the recording margin is currently very small and any global estimate involves uncertainties, scientists report that average global sea temperatures tend to reach their annual peak in March or April, which corresponds to the end of summer in the Southern Hemisphere – not August.

The Southern Hemisphere contains a larger portion of the planet's ocean surface than the Northern Hemisphere and thus exerts a greater influence on average sea temperatures.

What particularly worries scientists is that the oceans are already so warm, while the natural meteorological phenomenon El Nino is still far from its expected peak.

"The fact that we are already breaking records is an early indication of how strong El Nino is becoming," said Dr Jeremy Grist, a senior research fellow at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. "If all the data remains the same, we could expect the ocean temperature record to be broken again in March or April 2027."

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