Record High Sea Surface Temperature: Unprecedented Climate Change Trends

On June 21, global ocean temperatures outside the polar regions hit an unprecedented high, surpassing those recorded in 2023 and 2024, as reported by the Copernicus Climate Change Office and the Copernicus Oceanographic Office.

That day, temperatures soared to 20.86 degrees Celsius (69.54 degrees Fahrenheit), exceeding the 20.83 degrees Celsius (69.49 degrees Fahrenheit) documented in previous years, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Agency.

Additionally, the Copernicus Oceanographic Station noted a temperature spike to 21 degrees Celsius (69.8 degrees Fahrenheit), breaking the prior record from 2023 and 2024 by 0.1 degrees Celsius.

Richard Allan, a climate science professor at the University of Reading in the UK, stated during a phone interview, “This is consistent with our long-standing knowledge: the Earth’s warming is largely due to fossil fuel combustion, which releases significant greenhouse gases and impedes the planet’s ability to dissipate heat into space.”

The oceans absorb over 90% of the Earth’s excess energy, primarily from fossil fuel combustion (oil, coal, gas), Allan notes. Rising ocean temperatures highlight urgent concerns regarding climate change and the intensified impact of El Niño.

This announcement coincides with a severe heat wave threatening parts of the United States as the Fourth of July weekend approaches. As of Wednesday, more than 46 million people were under heat warnings, according to the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service cautioned that “dangerous heat” is intensifying across the eastern United States, with temperature highs expected to range from the mid-90s to over 100 degrees in certain areas.

Regions including the Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic, and Northeast will experience record high temperatures through Thursday, with extreme heat expected to affect parts of Canada as well.

Simultaneously, Europe has faced record-breaking heat, with more than 1,300 excess deaths reported since June 21 due to high temperatures, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. source

France’s health ministry reported approximately 1,000 additional deaths than expected over the past week amid its severe heat wave.

Tedros commented, “As a result of climate change and global warming, ‘once-in-a-generation’ heatwave events have become almost an annual occurrence.” He emphasized that Europe is “the warmest continent on earth, heating at double the global average,” and that the infrastructure in European homes, workplaces, and schools “is ill-equipped for these extreme temperatures.”