Oceans hit record temperatures in 2024

As 2024 begins with the hottest ocean temperatures ever recorded, our climate situation is looking pretty dire.

The world’s oceans reached the hottest temperatures ever recorded early in 2024, serving as a profoundly concerning indication that the Earth is spiraling toward extreme climate breakdown — if greenhouse gas emissions from human activity do not see radical reductions immediately.

As humanity continues emitting heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, principally by burning fossil fuels, the oceans have been forced to absorb a staggering 90% of the accumulating excess heat. This has pushed ocean temperatures to unprecedented levels, with experts warning the consequences could be catastrophic.

John Abraham, a professor of thermal sciences at the University of St. Thomas and co-author of the ocean temperature analysis published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, said: ‘It’s year after year that we’re setting heat records in the ocean.

The fact that this process is continuing apace every single year is incredibly illuminating for us because it drives home how intrinsically the oceans are connected to global warming and climate change.’