Record ocean temperatures put Earth in 'uncharted territory', scientists say

Temperatures in the world's oceans are breaking fresh records and testing new highs for more than a month in an "unprecedented" run that has led scientists to declare that Earth has reached "uncharted territory" in the climate crisis. vThe rapid acceleration of ocean temperatures over the past month is an anomaly that scientists have yet to they have to explain. Data collected by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), known as the Optimum Interpolated Sea Surface Temperature Series (OISST), collected by satellites and buoys, showed temperatures higher than any previous year in the series going back to 1981, continuously for the past 42 days.vThe world is thought to be on the verge of an El Niño weather event this year - a cyclical weather system in the Pacific that has a global warming effect. But the El Niño system has yet to develop, so this oscillation cannot explain the recent rapid warming at a time of year when ocean temperatures typically fall from their annual peaks in March and April. (The Guardian, Fiona Harvey Environment editor)