Polar Oceans Transformed as Warming Melts Ice Habitats: Research
The report says the ocean absorbed 23 zettajoules of heat in 2025 and Arctic sea ice has declined by nearly half a million square kilometres a decade.
- On Wednesday, the 10th Copernicus Ocean State Report documented record ocean heating, rising sea levels, and increased acidity, delivering its 'starkest warning yet' about profound changes in the world's seas.
- Oceans absorb roughly 90% of excess heat from fossil fuels, and the warming rate has doubled over the past 20 years, with sea surface temperatures reaching record highs in 2023, 2024, and again in 2026.
- Last year, the world's oceans absorbed an additional 23 zettajoules of heat, setting a new record for the ninth consecutive year; this equals roughly 40 times the energy the entire world consumed in 2025.
- Ocean acidity has increased by around 17% since 1985, threatening shell-building animals like oysters and corals, while global sea levels rose by an average of 3.8 millimeters annually between 1999 and 2025.
- Pierre Bahurel, Director General of Mercator Ocean International, stated that sustained monitoring is essential, saying, 'It is our responsibility to build the permanent capacity to anticipate this transformation.
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Study indicates that all Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are affected by ocean warming since 1960
In 2025, the ocean absorbed a record of 23 zettajoules of energy, the equivalent of 40 times the world's energy consumption. Polar regions experience profound changes, with significant ice loss in the Arctic and unprecedented reproductive failures among the emperor penguins in Antarctica.
Polar oceans transformed as warming melts ice habitats: research
The Copernicus Ocean State Report depicts profound changes across the world's seas, from record-breaking heatwaves in the Mediterranean and Black seas to shifts in marine ecosystems and increasingly acidic waters. "The message is very clear. The ocean is changing rapidly," said Pierre Bahurel, director general of Mercator Ocean International, which runs the European Union's Copernicus Marine Service. Some of the more dramatic effects from global…
Accelerated warming of the polar oceans weakens the Arctic coasts and threatens the disappearance of emperor penguin colonies Climate change rapidly transforms the oceans
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