Ocean Warming Rates Have Doubled Since 2005

The rate of ocean warming has nearly doubled since 2005, and more than a fifth of the world’s oceans experienced extreme heatwaves in 2023, according to a report released Monday by the European “Copernicus” observatory.

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The AFP news agency reported remarks by oceanographer Karina von Schuckmann during a video press conference announcing the eighth “Copernicus” report on the state of the oceans: “We can consider ocean temperature rise as an indicator of climate warming. It has been steadily increasing since the 1960s. Since around 2005, the rate of ocean temperature rise has doubled.”

According to the report, ocean temperatures have risen by 1.05 watts per square meter since 2005, compared to 0.58 watts per square meter in previous decades.

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This report corroborates findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In 2019, these climate experts, commissioned by the United Nations, concluded that it was “likely” that the rate of ocean warming had “more than doubled since 1993.”

This warming is attributed to the fact that oceans have absorbed “more than 90% of the excess heat in the climate system” since 1970, due to the massive greenhouse gas emissions released by human activity, according to the IPCC.

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Oceans, which cover 70% of Earth’s surface, are a major regulator of the planet’s climate. Warmer waters lead to more violent hurricanes and storms, causing destruction and flooding.
This warming also coincides with an increase in marine heatwaves, with 22% of the world’s oceans experiencing at least one extreme or severe heatwave in 2023.

Additionally, these marine heatwaves, which have become more widespread, tend to last longer, with the average maximum annual duration having doubled.