Global Ocean Heat Has Hit a New Record Every Single Day For the Last Year

According to new data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the world's oceans have hit a new temperature record every day since mid-March last year, fueling concerns for marine life and extreme weather across the planet. From a report: Global average ocean temperatures in 2023 were 0.25 degrees Celsius warmer than the previous year, said Gregory C. Johnson, a NOAA oceanographer. That rise is 'is equivalent to about two decades' worth of warming in a single year,' he told CNN. 'So it is quite large, quite significant, and a bit surprising.' Scientists have said ocean heat is being supercharged by human-caused global warming, boosted by El Nino, a natural climate pattern marked by higher-than-average ocean temperatures. The main consequences are on marine life and global weather. Global ocean warmth can add more power to hurricanes and other extreme weather events, including scorching heat waves and intense rainfall.

'At times, the records (in the North Atlantic) have been broken by margins that are virtually statistically impossible,' Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School told CNN. If very high ocean temperatures continue into the second half of 2024 and a La Nina event develops -- El Nino's counterpart that tends to amplify Atlantic hurricane season -- 'this would increase the risk of a very active hurricane season,' Hirschi said. About 90% of the world's excess heat produced by burning planet-heating fossil fuels is stored in the oceans. 'Measuring ocean warming allows us to track the status and evolution of planetary warming,' Schuckmann told CNN. 'The ocean is the sentinel for global warming.'

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