The surface of the world's oceans has warmed to a record high

The surface temperature of the world's oceans has reached a record level since the beginning of satellite observations. This has already led to anomalous marine heat waves around the world, writes The Guardian.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the average temperature ocean surface has already been at 21.1°C since early April, higher than the previous high of 21°C set in 2016. The data is based on satellite observations, but also confirmed by measurements from ships and buoys (and does not include the polar regions).

«El Niño came to an end. This extended period of cold reduced average global surface temperatures despite the rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Now that it's all over, we can see the climate change signal is ringing loud and clear," said NOAA Senior Scientist Mike McFadden.

The study showed that heat penetrates deep into the ocean. It has already spread down more than 100 meters, turning into fuel for extreme weather events.

Marine heat waves were recorded in several regions at once, including the southern part of the Indian Ocean, the southern Atlantic, northwest Africa, around New Zealand, northeast Australia and west Central America. Previously, they were not recorded in such a quantity at the same time.

While they may be caused by local weather conditions, studies have shown that they increase in intensity as greenhouse gas emissions rise. And the trend will get worse due to global warmingscientists predict.

And then a completely sad scenario: overheated oceans provide more energy for hurricanes, destroy ice sheets and raise the water level in general. All this radically changes the marine fauna, contributing to a decrease in the number of species used by humans for food.