Temperatures on the ocean surface have hit a record high, raising fears of another burst of extreme heat this summer.<\/p>\n
On June 21, temperatures outside the polar regions exceeded the extraordinary highs observed at the same time in 2023 and 2024, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
It warned the new peak would probably bring \u201cconsequences for weather patterns, global climate and marine ecosystems,\u201d not least because it would coincide with the earliest phases of an El Ni\u00f1o event<\/a> they forecast to be the strongest in decades.<\/p>\n When the previous ocean record for June was set in 2023, scientists described<\/a> the trends as \u201cworrying,\u201d \u201cterrifying,\u201d and \u201cbonkers,\u201d because they were so far outside their expectations. That presaged an El Ni\u00f1o and a period of devastating global heatwaves, floods, and storms.<\/p>\n That 2023 record has now been surpassed, and much of the world is once again seeing an alarming rise in temperatures. Last month, the UK and many other countries in Europe sweltered amid new heat records, while Antarctica experienced<\/a> unprecedentedly balmy winter conditions.<\/p>\n Although the focus is usually on land temperatures, oceans give a fuller picture of how much the climate is being pushed out of balance by human-caused warming.<\/p>\n Surface temperatures are affected by solar radiation, water currents, and the buildup of heat in the depths.<\/p>\n Oceans absorb more than 90 percent of the excess energy in the Earth system, which is primarily caused by burning fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and gas. That imbalance hit a record 23 zettajoules last year, more than double the average of the previous two decades.<\/p>\n