Oceans are pivotal in stabilizing life on Earth's surface. They are an essential part of the water cycle and encompass vast living species and integrated ecosystems.

Moreover, according to the United Nations, they act as carbon sinks, capable of absorbing about 25% of carbon dioxide emissions. This means they are also essential for maintaining the global climate balance.

However, with the rise in global temperatures due to global warming and the increased absorption of greenhouse gases by the oceans, the oceans, along with their ecosystems and living organisms, are facing imminent danger.

A study published recently in the journal "Environmental Research Letters" on January 28, 2025, indicated that ocean surface temperatures are rising four times faster than before. And this is a warning sign.

Unprecedented rise!

The researchers based their study on satellite data since 1985 and found that ocean temperatures, which were rising at a rate of 0.06 degrees Celsius per decade in the late 1980s, are now rising at a rate of 0.27 degrees Celsius per decade, which is four times higher than before.

How does the temperature rise?

Researchers explained these results by stating that accelerated global warming has caused some disruption to the Earth's energy balance, as the Earth's system absorbs a lot of energy, more than what escapes back into outer space. This is due to the increase in greenhouse gases that trap heat. This imbalance has doubled since 2010.

Among the other results that caught the researchers' attention was that global ocean temperatures rose above their record levels for 450 days from 2023 to early 2024. Part of this temperature increase was due to the El Niño phenomenon, which occurs naturally.

However, when the researchers compared these results with the El Niño phenomenon that occurred in 2015 and 2016, they found that the temperature rise this time was higher than before, attributing the increase to the rise in global average temperatures in previous years.

The authors of the study believe that global warming during this period has significantly contributed to the pace of ocean temperature rise, taking it down a hotter path, which threatens the terrestrial ecosystem. Therefore, it is essential to address the climate crisis.