Archive · 10 Jan 2026
Oceans hit record heat in 2025
The oceans got really hot in 2025, even more than any other year we've ever recorded.
Scientists from all over the world worked together to find this out.
They said the oceans absorbed a huge amount of heat, like 37 years' worth of all the energy we use globally.
Some parts of the ocean got extra hot, like the tropical Atlantic and the North Pacific.
Even though the surface of the ocean wasn't the hottest ever, it was still very warm and caused lots of bad weather, like floods and droughts.
The scientists said this is really bad because it makes the sea rise, hurts sea animals, and makes storms worse.
They think the oceans will keep getting hotter until we stop the planet from getting so hot.
Warmer oceans also make it harder for fish and other sea creatures to live, and they can cause big storms that hurt people.
The world's oceans absorbed a record 23 Zetta Joules of heat in 2025, equivalent to 37 years of global energy consumption at 2023 levels.
The heat content in the upper 2,000 meters of the ocean reached its highest recorded level, with 16% of the ocean area experiencing record-high heat and 33% ranking among the top three warmest years.
The fastest warming occurred in the tropical and South Atlantic, the North Pacific, and the Southern Ocean.
The global average sea-surface temperature in 2025 was the third warmest on record, about 0.5 degrees Celsius above the recent baseline, driving extreme weather events like severe flooding and drought.
Continued ocean heating contributes to sea-level rise, exacerbates marine heatwaves, and strengthens storms and other extreme weather phenomena.
- Who
- Over 50 scientists from 31 research institutions worldwide
- What
- The world's oceans absorbed more heat in 2025 than any other year since modern record-keeping began
- When
- 2025
- Where
- Global oceans, with fastest warming in tropical and South Atlantic, North Pacific, and Southern Ocean
- Why
- Due to continued accumulation of heat on the planet, leading to profound consequences such as sea-level rise, marine heatwaves, and extreme weather events
- Heat absorbed in 2025
- 23 Zetta Joules
- Equivalent to
- 37 years of global energy consumption (2023 levels)
- Ocean area with record-high heat
- 16%
- Ocean area in top 3 warmest years
- 33%
- Global average sea-surface temperature rank in 2025
- 3rd warmest on record
- Temperature above recent baseline
- 0.5 degrees Celsius
- Fastest warming regions
- Tropical and South Atlantic, North Pacific, and Southern Ocean
- Percentage of extra heat trapped by GHGs absorbed by oceans
- 90%
