Marine heatwaves may have pushed world’s oceans to a critical tipping point, scientists warn
Marine heatwaves may have pushed world’s oceans to a critical tipping point, scientists warn
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Scientists warn that the oceans’ prolonged hotter state may now represent the “new normal,” Euro News reported. In 2023, marine heatwaves surged to unprecedented levels, breaking records in intensity, geographic reach, and duration, affecting 96% of the ocean surface. Research from China, the USA, and Thailand attributes this extreme warming to factors such as reduced cloud cover, weaker winds, and changing ocean currents, which together allowed more solar radiation to heat the waters.
This shift suggests a fundamental change in ocean dynamics, with heat accumulating exponentially—contrary to current climate model predictions. The consequences are severe: oceans regulate global temperatures by storing and releasing heat, so prolonged warming disrupts weather patterns, hampers forecasting, and threatens marine ecosystems. Mass die-offs, species migrations, and coral reef collapses could follow, further reducing the oceans’ carbon sequestration capacity.
On land, hotter seas contribute to intensified heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and storms, exemplified by the deadly 2023 Storm Daniel, amplified by high sea surface temperatures. Recent heatwaves in 2024 and 2025, including record temperatures in the Mediterranean and UK waters, reinforce concerns about ongoing ocean warming.
Scientists emphasize the urgent need to monitor and model ocean changes to prepare for future impacts on food security, health, and the environment while continuing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
