Global ocean temperatures hit record July high as El Nino develops

Global ocean surface temperatures reached a record high for July as developing El Nino conditions helped drive exceptionally warm waters across the tropical Pacific, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Monday.



The average sea surface temperature across the extra-polar oceans, between 60 degrees south and 60 degrees north latitude, reached 20.96 degrees Celsius last month, beating the previous July record of 20.89 degrees Celsius set in 2023.



Sea temperatures were exceptionally high across a large part of the tropical Pacific, where El Nino conditions are present and forecast to strengthen in the coming months.



Waters around Europe were also unusually warm, with record July sea surface temperatures along the Atlantic and western Mediterranean, where widespread strong or severe marine heatwaves developed.



Globally, July was the joint second warmest July on record, tied with 2024 and behind 2023. The average surface air temperature was 16.90 degrees Celsius, or 1.47 degrees Celsius above the estimated pre-industrial average for the 1850-1900 period.



Western Europe, meanwhile, experienced its hottest June-July period on record after enduring a succession of heatwaves since May, according to the C3S.