Ocean Surface Temperatures Hit Record June High
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- Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that on 21 June, ocean surface temperatures outside the polar regions exceeded the records set at the same point in both 2023 and 2024
- The peak coincides with the earliest phases of an El Niño event forecast to be the strongest in decades, with the agency warning of consequences for weather patterns, global climate, and marine ecosystems
- Oceans absorb more than 90% of excess energy in the Earth's climate system, primarily from burning fossil fuels; the energy imbalance hit a record 23 zettajoules last year—more than double the previous two decades' average
- The rate of ocean warming has roughly doubled in four years—from heat equivalent to about 5 Hiroshima bombs per second in 2020 to closer to 11 per second last year
- The 2023 June record presaged an El Niño-driven period of devastating global heatwaves, floods, and storms, and the UK and much of Europe already set new heat records in May with Antarctica seeing unprecedentedly balmy winter conditions
- Carlo Buontempo, Copernicus director at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, warned that with El Niño on the horizon, "we are likely to see more temperature records fall in the coming months"
- UN Secretary General António Guterres declared "Earth is being pushed beyond its limits," though scientists note annual ocean peaks typically register in July and August, making it too early to call a maximum
Why it matters: The June record was set before the typical July-August ocean peak, and a forecast-strong El Niño has only just begun. With oceans already absorbing more than 90% of excess fossil-fuel-driven energy and the heat imbalance doubling versus the prior two-decade average, the baseline climate oceanographers measure against is shifting upward regardless of how this El Niño evolves—raising the floor under future heatwaves, storms, and marine stress.
