Ocean surface temperatures hit record high as world enters 'uncharted territory,' scientists warn [View all]

Source: NBC News

July 1, 2026, 7:01 AM EDT / Updated July 1, 2026, 7:36 AM EDT


Temperatures on the ocean surface hit a record high in June, European scientists warned Wednesday, fueling fears of more dangerous heat waves this summer and fanning concerns over the escalating global climate crisis.

Two separate services under the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation program — the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the Copernicus Marine Service — announced they had both independently confirmed the record temperatures.

Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, warned that the rising temperatures could mark the “beginning of a new phase.”

“With ocean temperatures at these levels and El Niño on the horizon, we are likely to see more temperature records fall in the coming months,” Buontempo said in a statement Wednesday. El Niño is a naturally occurring climate cycle that sees the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean become warmer than usual for months at a time. The world could be heading into “uncharted territory,” Buontempo warned.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/science/climate-change/ocean-temperatures-hit-record-high-in-june-rcna352514