LONDON, August 25. /Dunyo IA/. The average surface temperature of the world’s oceans reached 21.1 degrees Celsius, setting a new record for the entire observation period since 1979, reports Dunyo IA correspondent, citing the Copernicus climate service.

The new figure surpassed the previous record of 21.09 degrees Celsius, recorded in March 2024. The data are based on measurements from buoys, ships and satellites used to calculate global ocean temperatures at a depth of around 10 meters.

Copernicus said the record is consistent with the long-term trend of rising ocean temperatures and comes amid the strengthening El Niño phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean.

Scientists were particularly concerned by the timing of the new record. Global ocean temperatures typically reach their annual peak in March or April, following the end of summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

“This record is another clear signal that the world’s oceans are under growing stress,” said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus.

According to Burgess, El Niño is adding heat on top of decades of warming driven by human activity.

El Niño is characterized by unusually warm surface waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean and typically contributes to higher global average temperatures.

Scientists expect the phenomenon to continue strengthening through December. Jeremy Grist, a researcher at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, said the record could be broken again in March or April 2027.

High temperatures are also being recorded off the coast of Europe. Marine heatwave conditions have persisted almost continuously in the western English Channel for more than three years, with water temperatures nearly 7 degrees above normal in July.

Scientists link the widespread abnormal heat to climate change. The world’s oceans absorb more than 90% of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases.

Rising ocean temperatures intensify extreme weather, contribute to sea-level rise and put additional pressure on marine ecosystems and coastal communities.