Global oceans warmest in June on record, scientists say more warming is coming | Weather News

European Union officials say the first half of 2026 was “characterized by persistent ocean warming” and predict more to come.

The world’s oceans experienced a “hottest June” and could see further increases in the coming months. El Niño is a climate change pushing the temperature too high, according to a new report.

The European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service said on Wednesday that the “global ocean temperature” of 21.0 degrees Celsius (69.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in June surpassed the previous record for the same month in 2023 and 2024.

“The first six months of 2026 have been characterized by persistent warming of the oceans and the spread of seawater around the world,” said the EU’s marine environment watchdog.

“Ocean heat waves grew steadily throughout this period, eventually affecting about 82 percent of the world’s oceans,” said Simon van Gennip, ocean director of the Copernicus Marine Service.

“The Mediterranean, the North Atlantic and the equatorial Pacific all emerged as hot spots, and the signals in these regions give a similar picture of the ocean under extreme heat,” Van Gennip said in a statement.

The beginning of admissions A strong El Nino The climate could promote global warming in the oceans and atmosphere beyond 2026, until next year, according to scientists.

“Today’s developments may indicate the beginning of a new, leading phase, in an uncharted territory,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the EU’s climate watchdog.

“With ocean temperatures at these levels and El Nino on the horizonwe may see more heat records falling in the coming months,” Buontempo said in a statement.

El Nino is characterized by unusually warm water in parts of the Pacific Ocean, releasing extreme heat into the atmosphere and influencing winds, clouds and weather around the world. This could increase the risk of severe weather, from floods in Peru to droughts in parts of Africa and wildfires in Australia.

Land and sea temperatures reached their highest in 2024 at the end of the last El Nino, and 2026 could be among the hottest years on record with the start of the next El Nino this year.

The Copernicus report follows a warning issued in a major United Nations scientific inquiry last month, which said the world’s oceans are in “serious trouble” as seas warm and rise rapidly.

The oceans are the main drivers of the world’s climate because they absorb about 90 percent of the heat that humans emit as a result of carbon dioxide.

Warming oceans add moisture to the atmosphere, leading to damaging winds and damaging rain.

Warming oceans also directly contribute to sea level rise – water rises as it warms – and create unbearable conditions for tropical reefs, whose reefs can bleach and die in prolonged heat.