The world's oceans have just reached the highest temperature ever recorded.

According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, average surface ocean temperatures have reached a new record, nearly 21 degrees Celsius, likely for the first time in millennia. This value exceeds the previous record from March 2024 and marks the highest temperatures of the Holocene period, according to Professor Ryan Katz-Rosene from the University of Ottawa.

Marine sediment analyses suggest that current temperatures are higher than they have been in the last 12,000 years, reaching levels similar to those of the last interglacial period, 125,000 years ago. Marine heatwaves have fueled powerful storms, such as Hurricane Lala, and have amplified climate extremes in Europe, where the heatwave has caused thousands of deaths.

Currently, 42% of the world's oceans are experiencing heatwaves, and in the Pacific Ocean, they cover an area nine times larger than that of the continental United States, significantly contributing to the global record of ocean temperatures.