Ocean temperatures hit near‑record highs for March, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said yes‑ terday, signalling a likely shift toward El Nino conditions that can amplify heat extremes on an already warming planet. Copernicus
AFP | Paris
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Ocean temperatures hit near‑record highs for March, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said yes‑ terday, signalling a likely shift toward El Nino conditions that can amplify heat extremes on an already warming planet.
Copernicus said average sea surface temperatures were 20.97C in March, the sec‑ ond‑highest value ever for the month, and the hottest since 2024 during the last El Nino, when global heat records toppled.
This reflected “a likely tran‑ sition toward El Nino conditions”, said Copernicus, the European Union’s global warming monitor.
Several meteorological agen‑ cies had predicted the return this year of El Nino, a natural climate cycle that warms Pacif‑ ic waters and can bring higher global temperatures and ex‑ treme weather.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said last month an opposite, cooling La Nina cycle was tipped to give way to neutral conditions be‑ fore swinging into El Nino later this year.
