The World's Oceans Soaked Up Record-Breaking Heat for the 9th Straight Year

Source: Gizmodo

Published January 10, 2026


It would take roughly 365 million Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs to release the amount of energy the world’s oceans absorbed as additional heat in 2025. This figure stems from the latest report on the global ocean heat content, which found record-high marine warming for the ninth year in a row.

The 55 scientists who contributed to the report, published Friday in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, warn that the continued trend is exacerbating extreme weather, sea-level rise, and the destabilization of marine ecosystems. The main driver is unequivocally rising greenhouse gas emissions, they say.

We’re already seeing the catastrophic effect marine warming has on communities around the world, particularly through stronger storms and more severe flooding. The researchers point to a slew of deadly events in 2025, from the unprecedented monsoon rains that killed more than 1,300 people across Southeast Asia to flash floods that killed at least 138 people—including 27 young summer campers and counselors—in Central Texas.

“In the long term, consistent with projections from state-of-the-art climate models, global [ocean heat content] is expected to continue breaking records until net-zero greenhouse gas emissions are achieved,” the authors write.

Read more: https://gizmodo.com/the-worlds-oceans-soaked-up-record-breaking-heat-for-the-9th-straight-year-2000708348