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The world’s oceans just experienced their hottest June on record, and scientists warned on Wednesday that temperatures could set fresh highs in the months ahead.
The European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service reported that global average sea surface temperatures hit 20.98°C in June, surpassing the previous records set in 2023 and 2024.
This record caps six months of near-unprecedented ocean warmth in 2026, which featured prolonged marine heatwaves across 82 per cent of the globe’s waters.
Meteorologists expect the onset of a potentially powerful El Niño weather pattern to boost global heat in both the oceans and the atmosphere through the remainder of 2026 and into next year.
El Niño drives unusually warm waters into parts of the Pacific Ocean, releasing immense heat into the atmosphere and altering global weather patterns.
This climate driver significantly compounds the long-term warming that humanity causes by burning fossil fuels, which previously pushed land and sea temperatures to an all-time high in 2024.
These rising temperatures severely threaten global climate stability because oceans regulate the Earth by absorbing roughly 90 per cent of excess greenhouse gas heat.
Hotter seas inject extra moisture into the atmosphere to fuel destructive tropical cyclones and torrential rainfall.
Furthermore, warming waters expand and accelerate sea level rise while triggering widespread coral bleaching that can kill entire reef ecosystems.
Regional data from the first half of the year highlights the sharpening crisis across major bodies of water.
The Mediterranean Sea broke its June record by reaching 24.3°C, with marine heatwaves striking 98 per cent of the basin during the first six months of the year.
Simultaneously, the tropical Pacific recorded its hottest June ever at 27.26°C, showing the strongest and most persistent warming trends off the coasts of Peru and California.
