Ocean temperatures near record high in March: Monitor

PARIS

A sea turtle swims at the Mayhem Ridge dive site in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Claudia Rosel)

Ocean temperatures hit near-record highs for March, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said on April 10, 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 20.97 degrees Celsius in March, the second-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 transition toward El Nino conditions," said Copernicus, the European Union's global warming monitor.

Several meteorological agencies had predicted the return this year of El Nino, a natural climate cycle that warms Pacific waters and can bring higher global temperatures and extreme weather.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said last month an opposite, cooling La Nina cycle was tipped to give way to neutral conditions before swinging into El Nino later this year.

The most recent El Nino in 2023-2024 was one of the five strongest ever measured and contributed to making those years the second-hottest and hottest on record, respectively.

Scientists say La Nina and El Nino are natural cycles that cause short-term temperature swings, against a backdrop of human-driven climate change that is raising global temperatures and worsening extreme weather over the long term.

Oceans absorb most of the excess heat caused by humanity's carbon emissions and therefore play a key role in regulating the global climate.