Following the hottest June on record and a series of extreme weather events, now, the oceans have hit their hottest-ever recorded temperature.
Global average daily sea surface temperatures hit 20.96C this week, breaking the record of 20.95C reached in 2016.
According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), since April, the global average daily sea surface temperatures (SST) have remained at record values for the time of year. From mid-May onwards, global SSTs values have reached unprecedented levels for the time of year, according to ERA5 data from (C3S).
ERA5 is the fifth generation ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) atmospheric reanalysis of the global climate covering the period from January 1940 to present.
A related BBC report says that warmer waters have less ability to absorb carbon dioxide which is released from greenhouse gases. This means more carbon dioxide will stay in the atmosphere, heating up our planet. Not only that, warmer waters can increase the rate that glaciers melt and flow into the ocean, which will mean more rising sea levels. Animals and marine life are also heavily affected.
“The extreme weather which has affected many millions of people in July is, unfortunately, the harsh reality of climate change and a foretaste of the future,” said World Meteorological Organization’s Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas, as quoted by the C3S website.
“The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is more urgent than ever before. Climate action is not a luxury but a must.” Since April, the global average daily sea surface temperature has remained at record values for the time of year, the C3S website said.
The high ocean surface temperatures are coinciding with the development of El Niño conditions, a period of warmer-than-average SSTs in the tropical Pacific. Declared by the WMO on July 4, this naturally occurring climate pattern leads to a higher likelihood of extreme heat across many regions and in the ocean. Alongside this are continuing record-high SSTs in the North Atlantic Ocean. In June, average SSTs across the whole North Atlantic were the warmest in the ERA5 record for the time for year by an average of 0.91°C.
