The surface temperature of the world’s oceans has reached the highest level ever recorded.
The global average daily sea surface temperature (SST) has reached 20.96C this week.
That breaks the record of 20.95C set in 2016, according to the Copernicus Climate Modeling Service.
Oceans are generally warmest globally in March, not August.
Therefore, scientists have predicted that the ocean surface warming record will continue to be broken.
Dr. Samantha Burgess of Copernicus said: “My biggest worry from what we’ve seen in the report is how warm the ocean will be between now and next March.”
They point out that current temperatures appear to be partially driven by the El Nino weather phenomenon.
2016 was also an El Nino year.
However, these weather patterns can sometimes be exacerbated by climate breakdowns and a warmer atmosphere.
Experts emphasize that climate change caused by burning fossil fuels also causes ocean surface warming.
“The more fossil fuels we burn, the more excess heat will be carried away by the oceans, which means it will take longer to stabilize them and bring them back to where they were,” Burgess said.
This week, the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, issued more than 100 new oil and gas licenses in the North Sea, despite the advice of climate experts.
