The European Union's climate monitor has issued a stark warning that global ocean temperatures are edging toward record highs as weather patterns shift toward a potentially powerful El Niño event.
According to Samantha Burgess, the strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in recent days have been just shy of the all-time highs recorded in 2024. With the current month of May already showing significant warming, Burgess indicated that it is likely to break its own historical record.
"It's a matter of days before we are back to record-breaking ocean SSTs again," Burgess stated, highlighting the rapid pace of warming observed in the current cycle.
Data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, which is overseen by the ECMWF, reveals that daily sea surface temperatures in April gradually climbed toward near-record levels. This trend reflects a broader atmospheric and oceanic transition to El Niño, which is expected to intensify in the coming months.
The report also pointed to the emergence of record-breaking marine heatwaves. Copernicus noted that sea surface temperatures in April were the second-highest ever measured, with extreme marine heatwaves breaking previous records in the vast ocean expanse between the tropical Pacific and the United States.
For global markets and coastal regions—particularly across Asia—these temperature spikes and the impending El Niño pattern often signal significant disruptions to weather patterns, affecting everything from agriculture and fisheries to global supply chains and disaster management strategies.
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EU climate monitor warns oceans near record highs as El Niño looms
cgtn.com
