Global ocean temperatures hit record high as El Nino intensifies

Copernicus warns of ‘unprecedented strain’ on world’s oceans as El Nino and climate change drive up sea surface temperatures.The average global sea surface temperature has reached its highest level on record, a European Union agency said, warning that a rapidly intensifying El Nino and human-caused climate change were putting “unprecedented strain” on the world’s oceans.In a statement on Monday, the EU’s Copernicus climate change Service said sea surface temperatures hit 21.1 degrees Celsius (69.98 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday and Saturday, surpassing the previous record of 21.09C (69.96F) set in March 2024.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Iraq’s solar villages show how to build an energy transition that lastslist 2 of 3Where water conflicts pose the biggest threat in 2026list 3 of 3Can Kenya’s AI ambitions coexist with Naivasha’s water needs?end of list“This record is another clear signal of an ocean under growing stress,” said Samantha Burgess, the strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). “El Nino is adding heat to the system, but it is doing so on top of decades of human-driven warming.”Copernicus called the timing of the new record “particularly notable”. It said global ocean temperatures usually peak in March and April, when the summer in the Southern Hemisphere – which is mostly ocean – draws to a close.But this year, the record was set in August.Burgess told The Associated Press news agency that the oceans will keep getting hotter until the current El Nino – a natural temporary warming of parts of the Pacific that then warps weather and raises temperatures globally – reaches its peak, which is expected sometime between November and January.The World Meteorological Organization, too, said it expects El Nino to strengthen in the coming months, and Copernicus said its seasonal forecasting system indicates that the event “could reach levels not seen for several decades”.