Polar Oceans Transformed as Warming Melts Ice Habitats: Research
The report says the ocean absorbed 23 zettajoules of heat in 2025 and Arctic sea ice has declined by nearly half a million square kilometres a decade.
- On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, the 10th Copernicus Ocean State Report documented record ocean heating, rising sea levels, and increased acidity, delivering its "starkest warning yet" about profound changes in the world's seas.
- Oceans absorb roughly 90% of excess heat from fossil fuels; the warming rate has doubled over 20 years, with the global ocean absorbing an additional 23 zettajoules of heat last year, setting a record for the ninth consecutive year.
- In the Mediterranean and Black Seas, record-breaking marine heatwaves in 2024 placed regions under "intense pressure," with temperatures soaring more than 8.3 degrees Fahrenheit above average and some heatwaves lasting more than 30 days.
- Ocean acidity has increased approximately 17% since 1985, making it harder for oysters and corals to build shells; global sea levels rose by an average of 3.8 millimetres annually between 1999 and 2025, threatening hundreds of millions in coastal regions.
- Pierre Bahurel, Director General of Mercator Ocean International, emphasized the need for sustained ocean monitoring, stating, "It is our responsibility to build the permanent capacity to anticipate this transformation.
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Study indicates that all Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are affected by ocean warming since 1960
In 2025, the ocean absorbed a record of 23 zettajoules of energy, the equivalent of 40 times the world's energy consumption. Polar regions experience profound changes, with significant ice loss in the Arctic and unprecedented reproductive failures among the emperor penguins in Antarctica.
Polar oceans transformed as warming melts ice habitats: research
The Copernicus Ocean State Report depicts profound changes across the world's seas, from record-breaking heatwaves in the Mediterranean and Black seas to shifts in marine ecosystems and increasingly acidic waters. "The message is very clear. The ocean is changing rapidly," said Pierre Bahurel, director general of Mercator Ocean International, which runs the European Union's Copernicus Marine Service. Some of the more dramatic effects from global…
Accelerated warming of the polar oceans weakens the Arctic coasts and threatens the disappearance of emperor penguin colonies Climate change rapidly transforms the oceans
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