Ocean temperature hit record high in February 2024, EU scientists raise alarms

Marine scientists warned this week that a fourth global mass coral bleaching event is likely unfolding in the Southern Hemisphere, driven by warming waters, and could be the worst in the planet’s history. 

Corals bleach under heat stress, expelling the colorful, helpful algae that live in their tissues, leaving behind a pale skeleton. This makes them vulnerable to starvation and disease, and many die. This can lead to the collapse of fragile reef ecosystems, with coastlines left unprotected from erosion and storms and fisheries falling short.

An El Nino climate pattern, borne out of warmer-than-usually surface waters in the Eastern Pacific alongside human-caused climate change, is fueling the extra heat. 

“What is more surprising is that sea surface temperatures are at record levels over regions far away from the center of the El Nino action, such as the tropical Atlantic and Indian Ocean,” said climate scientist Richard Allan of the University of Reading. 

He said this pointed to the strong influence of rising greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. 

While the global average sea surface temperature record excludes the polar oceans, conditions are also bad. 

Antarctic sea ice reached its annual minimum in February, registering its third-lowest extent on record at 28% below average.

C3S said El Nino is now weakening in the equatorial Pacific, but air temperatures over the oceans remain unusually high.

Source: Reuters