I will endlessly be a tireless passionate voice of truth related to the extreme human caused climate crisis and the urgency that we humans act individually collectively in every way possible to try to preserve a habitable planet! — Molly
Our oceans are running a fever. Global ocean surface temperatures have officially reached their highest level on record.
On August 22, the average sea surface temperature across the global ocean reached 70°F (21.1°C), according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. This narrowly surpasses the previous record set just months ago in March 2024.
Why is this so alarming?
Timing is everything. Global ocean temperatures usually peak in March or April, following the Southern Hemisphere's summer. Hitting a new peak in August is highly unusual and shows that our oceans are absorbing a staggering amount of excess energy.
What is driving this?
A strengthening El Niño: Unusually warm water in the Pacific is shifting weather patterns and releasing massive amounts of heat into the atmosphere.
Human-caused Climate Change: El Niño is acting on a baseline that is already artificially high. Human-produced greenhouse gases trap heat, and the ocean absorbs more than 90% of that excess energy.
The Ripple Effect:
Shifting a global average by even a fraction of a degree has massive consequences. Warmer oceans directly lead to:
Accelerated sea-level rise
Intense marine heat waves and mass coral bleaching
Disrupted fisheries and shifting marine populations
Reduced oxygen levels for marine life
With the World Meteorological Organization expecting El Niño to strengthen in the coming months, we are bracing for major shifts in global rainfall and above-normal temperatures worldwide.
A Super El Niño Is Coming in 2026
Super El Niño: How One Ocean Can Change the World
Original post from The Beautiful Planet
No comments:
Post a Comment