science ๐ก๏ธ Oceans hit record heat in July ๐
The world's oceans reached their hottest ever recorded temperatures for July, partly due to developing El Niรฑo conditions in the Pacific. The average sea surface temperature outside polar regions was 20.96C, surpassing the previous high of 20.89C set in 2023. This made July the joint second-warmest globally, with temperatures 1.47C above the pre-industrial average. Ocean warming drives sea level rise and intensifies extreme weather events like heatwaves. This trend shows climate change is intensifying heat extremes across the globe.