Hey there, ocean lovers! 🌊 Did you hear the news? Our planet's oceans just set a scorching new record this February, reaching average surface temperatures of 21.06 degrees Celsius—the hottest ever recorded! 🔥
Scientists are sounding the alarm as months of record-breaking heat and the El Niño phenomenon team up to turn up the heat in our seas. It's like the oceans are throwing a massive, not-so-fun beach party we weren't invited to. 😬
So, what's cooking? 🍳 Well, oceans cover a whopping 70% of our planet and have been working overtime to keep things chill by absorbing about 90% of the excess heat from carbon pollution since the industrial age. But now, they're starting to feel the burn.
Over the past decade, our oceans have been heating up, but last year's temperatures were absolutely \"off the charts,\" according to scientists. 🌡️ The double whammy of human-induced climate change and the naturally occurring El Niño has supercharged this warming trend.
This fiery trend has blazed into 2024, making February not just hot, but the hottest February on record globally! 🌍🔥 That's nine straight months of historic highs, reports the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
\"Our civilization has never had to cope with this climate,\" says Carlo Buontempo, director of C3S. And he's not exaggerating. The heat levels in the upper oceans are downright \"remarkable,\" showing just how much extra energy and carbon they've been soaking up thanks to us. 😔
Many climate records were smashed last year by huge margins, especially in ocean temperatures. It's like Mother Nature is giving us a wake-up call, and it's time we hit the snooze button for good.
The bottom line? The ocean's fever is a symptom of a bigger problem, and it's up to us to cool things down. Let's make waves for change! 💪🌊
Reference(s):
Carbon emissions and El Niño push oceans to record temperatures
cgtn.com
