THE European Union (EU) Climate Observatory reported that the planet’s oceans set a new record with no signs of cooling down as burning fossil fuels causes the oceans to heat-a sign of a climate breakdown.
Data gathered by EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) showed that the average temperature of the global ocean surface hit 20.96 °C, a slight increase compared to 20.95 °C recorded in 2016, but still alarming.
The deputy director of C3S revealed that the North Atlantic was already experiencing a maritime heat wave of the highest category based on June records which could lead to further large-scale fish deaths.
The ocean acts like a massive sponge that has absorbed 90% of the excess heat from extra greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Meanwhile, water temperatures in the Mediterranean Region—considered a climate hotspot—also soared, with record heat waves experienced in July.
Moreover, scientists cautioned that the world must prepare for further increases in ocean temperatures due to the convergence of El Niño combined with human-induced global warming.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has previously warned of the destructive impacts caused by record-breaking high temperatures on ecosystems and the environment.
