Ocean temperatures at critical levels: it is confirmed that they rose further due to El Niño.

The ocean temperature reached critical levels last year. According to specialists, El Niño had a strong impact on recent increases.

The number of marine heatwaves recorded in the summers of 2023 and 2024 was 3.5 times higher than in the last period affected by the climatic phenomenon (2008-2009).

The consequences were devastating for coastal communities worldwide, according to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Ocean temperature at critical levels: the impact of El Niño

In the last two years, climate change, exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon, caused 10% of the ocean to reach record temperatures.

This has a significant impact on various aspects, such as in coral reefs, fishing, and coastal communities.

Ocean temperatures and their consequences.

Other consequences have a direct impact on society, as the study’s authors mentioned with Cyclone Gabrielle in New Zealand. This phenomenon occurred in 2023, killing 11 people and causing damages worth over $8 billion.

In this line, the economic impacts of extreme ocean temperatures were felt on the coast of Peru. The anchovy fishing was affected, causing losses of $1.4 billion between 2023 and 2024.

Not only because of El Niño

The authors point out that although the El Niño phenomenon exacerbated the marine heatwaves in the 2023-24 period, it is not the only cause.

“Scientific evidence indicates that climate change has already increased marine heatwaves by 50% between 2011-2021.”

“If we continue burning fossil fuels and deforesting forests, marine heatwaves could be between 20 and 50 times more frequent and ten times more intense by the end of the century,” they forecasted.

“Replacing oil, coal, and gas with renewable energies is vital to safeguard ocean life and coastal communities,” concluded the international team of scientists.

Ocean temperatures in 2024

The sea surface temperature (SST) set a new historical record in March 2024, reaching 21.07 degrees.

The Copernicus report indicated that the last El Niño episode, which lasted from May 2023 to mid-2024, had a weaker development than previous ones, but its effects were significant.

Melting, as a consequence.

Consequences

Primarily, these temperature changes ultimately cause a “long-lasting effect” on marine biodiversity and on the lives and livelihoods of coastal communities, as warned by the UN.