Global ocean temperatures have reached a record high as El Niño injects extra heat into our already-warming world.
On Saturday (Aug. 22), the daily global average sea surface temperature (SST) was hotter than at any time since records began in 1979, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
"This record is another clear signal of an ocean under growing stress," Samantha Burgess, the strategic lead for climate at Copernicus, said in a statement. "El Niño is adding heat to the system, but it is doing so on top of decades of human-driven warming. As ocean temperatures continue to rise, the risks to marine ecosystems and coastal communities also increase."
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