Ocean heat record broken with temperatures hitting 20.96

The oceans are at their hottest-ever recorded temperature due to climate change. The global sea surface temperature hit 20.96°C, surpassing the 2016 record. 

Warmer waters absorb less carbon dioxide, leading to more planet-warming gas in the atmosphere and faster glacier melting, causing sea level rise. 

Marine species are affected as they search for cooler waters, disrupting the food chain. Fish stocks could be impacted, and some predatory animals like sharks may become more aggressive in the heat.

“The water feels like a bath when you jump in,” says Dr Kathryn Lesneski, who is monitoring a marine heatwave in the Gulf of Mexico for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“Right now there is widespread coral bleaching at shallow reefs in Florida and many corals have already died.”