Ocean temperatures hit a record high in February, with the average global sea surface temperature at 21.06 degrees Celsius, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported on Thursday.
February’s average sea surface temperature surpassed the previous record of 20.98 C set in August 2023, in a dataset that dates back to 1979.
The concerning marine record arrived during what was also the hottest February on record, marking the ninth consecutive month with such a milestone for the respective month.
Marine scientists warned this week that a fourth global mass coral bleaching event is likely unfolding in the Southern Hemisphere, driven by warming waters, and could be the worst in the planet’s history.
Corals bleach under heat stress, expelling the colorful, helpful algae that live in their tissues, leaving behind a pale skeleton. This can lead to the collapse of fragile reef ecosystems, with coastlines left unprotected from erosion and storms and fisheries falling short.
An El Niño climate pattern, borne out of warmer than usual surface waters in the Eastern Pacific, is fueling the extra heat.
While the global average sea surface temperature record excludes the polar oceans, things are in bad shape there, too.
Antarctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent in February, registering its third lowest extent on record at 28% below average.
El Niño is now weakening in the equatorial Pacific, C3S said, but air temperatures over the oceans remain at an unusually high level.
The concerning marine record arrived during what was also the hottest February on record, marking the ninth consecutive month with such a milestone for the respective month.
Marine scientists warned this week that a fourth global mass coral bleaching event is likely unfolding in the Southern Hemisphere, driven by warming waters, and could be the worst in the planet’s history.
Corals bleach under heat stress, expelling the colorful, helpful algae that live in their tissues, leaving behind a pale skeleton. This can lead to the collapse of fragile reef ecosystems, with coastlines left unprotected from erosion and storms and fisheries falling short.
An El Niño climate pattern, borne out of warmer than usual surface waters in the Eastern Pacific, is fueling the extra heat.
While the global average sea surface temperature record excludes the polar oceans, things are in bad shape there, too.
Antarctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent in February, registering its third lowest extent on record at 28% below average.
El Niño is now weakening in the equatorial Pacific, C3S said, but air temperatures over the oceans remain at an unusually high level.
Source: Reuters
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