The record temperature surpassed the one set in March 2024, of 21.09ºC, at a time when the El Niño phenomenon may be the most significant ever recorded, scientists reveal.

El Niño is a global climate phenomenon that arises from variations in winds and sea surface temperatures over the tropical Pacific Ocean.

During this natural phenomenon, which returns every two to seven years, surface waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean warm, causing substantial changes in wind, pressure, and precipitation patterns worldwide for months.

This climate phenomenon adds to the trend of ocean warming driven by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

The daily record registered in August is unusual, Copernicus points out in a statement, quoted by AFP, because global ocean temperatures “generally reach their highest level in March and April,” at the end of summer in the southern hemisphere, where the largest ocean areas are located.

The oceans play a regulatory role in the climate by absorbing 90% of the excess heat generated by human activity, especially the use of fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal.

“The record is a new obvious sign of an ocean under increasing stress,” emphasised Samantha Burgess of Copernicus, quoted in the statement.

As ocean temperatures continue to rise, the risks to marine ecosystems and coastal communities increase as well,” she adds.

The increase in ocean temperature also increases the risk of extreme weather events, Copernicus notes, observing that a warmer ocean transports more heat and moisture into the atmosphere, which can intensify precipitation and storms.