Reference News, October 2 report - According to a report released by the European Union's "Copernicus Marine Service" program on September 30, the rate at which the global ocean is warming is "accelerating," with the global sea surface temperature reaching a historical record of 21 degrees Celsius in the spring of 2024.

The report points out that "the entire ocean" is affected by "the triple planetary crisis of climate change, loss of biodiversity, and pollution."

The report also shows that the sea level is rising at an unprecedented rate of 40.8 millimeters per decade, and the ice cover area of the Arctic and Antarctic is at historically low levels.

The report concludes: "Emission reduction is crucial, but it is no longer sufficient to save the Earth. Governments must restore marine ecosystems, strengthen the development and implementation of marine policies, in order to protect the global blue economy."

Data analyzed by more than 70 scientists indicates that the ocean surface is warming "particularly rapidly." The Black Sea's surface warming rate is three times the average, comparable to that of the Baltic Sea, while the Mediterranean Sea's surface warming rate is more than twice the average, increasing by 0.41 degrees Celsius every decade, with the duration of marine heatwaves increasing by 16 to 23 days every decade.

Both 2023 and 2024 recorded "exceptionally strong and prolonged" marine heatwaves, with sea surface temperatures exceeding previous records by 0.25 degrees Celsius, breaking the records of 2015 and 2016.

Parts of the Atlantic Ocean experienced marine heatwaves lasting over 300 days in 2023.

During the summer of that year, the Mediterranean saw the longest marine heatwave on record, causing the sea surface temperature to be 4.3 degrees Celsius higher than normal.

The global sea level is rising at an unprecedented rate: 31.4 millimeters between 1999 and 2006, 39.3 millimeters between 2007 and 2015, and 40.8 millimeters between 2016 and 2024.

Between 1901 and 2024, the sea level has risen by a total of 228 millimeters, posing risks of flooding and soil erosion for people living in coastal areas.

All European countries with a population density exceeding 200 people per square kilometer have experienced above-average sea level rise.

In terms of sea ice area loss, the Arctic set four new records between December 2024 and March 2025.

The report also emphasizes that the acidification rate in more than 10% of the most biologically diverse marine regions is faster than the global average. Approximately 16% of endangered corals and 30% of critically endangered corals are affected by rapid ocean warming or acidification.

According to AFP on September 30, researchers announced that the area of winter sea ice around Antarctica has fallen to the third lowest level in nearly half a century of satellite observations, highlighting the increasingly severe impact of climate change on the Antarctic region.

Every year during the southern hemisphere's winter, large areas of the waters surrounding Antarctica freeze, usually reaching peak ice coverage in September or October, then beginning the melting cycle.

Initial data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder show that this year's Antarctic sea ice area reached its peak on September 17 at 17.81 million square kilometers, the third lowest in the 47-year observation record, following the historical low of 2023 and 2024.

Researcher Ted Scambos from the University of Colorado Boulder said that before 2016, the observed data showed a "irregular but slight increase trend" in the area of Antarctic sea ice over time.

He also said, "The current situation seems to indicate that ocean heat is interacting with the seawater near Antarctica," meaning that climate change is ultimately having an impact on the frozen seas around Antarctica.

The melting of sea ice does not lead to a rise in sea level, but this process affects the climate: sea ice reflects a large amount of solar energy back into space, whereas when the dark seawater surface replaces the sea ice, it absorbs the same amount of solar energy without reflecting it, thus exacerbating global warming.

Additionally, sea ice acts as a "buffer," preventing the Antarctic ice sheet (the ice covering the continent) from sliding into the ocean, thereby avoiding an acceleration of the sea level rise.

He pointed out that historical data indicate that, in the long term, if the climate continues to warm, the shrinkage of the Antarctic ice sheet will be irreversible.

Translation by Wang Meng, Wang Zhongju

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7556500338921751086/

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