Pay attention to the instrument data this tells us exactly what’s coming. Remember there is generally a delay between observed data readings and the impacts thereof.

2024 starts with sea surface temperatures *above* where they were at the start of 2023 (orange line) and above the record set in 2016 for this time of year, and just 0.1º below the record set in April and August of 2023.

What are the consequences of the heating ocean? Quoting Recent, rapid ocean warming ahead of El Niño alarms scientists:

• Loss of species: more frequent and intense marine heatwaves lead to mass mortality of sea life. This is particularly damaging for coral reefs.
• More extreme weather: increased heat in the upper ocean surface means hurricanes and cyclones can pick up more energy. This means they become more intense and longer-lasting.
• Sea-level rise: warmer waters take up more space - known as thermal expansion - and can greatly accelerate the melting of glaciers from Greenland and Antarctica that flow into the oceans. This raises global sea levels, increasing risks of coastal flooding.
• Less ability to absorb CO2: the oceans currently take up about a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. Warmer waters have less ability to absorb CO2. If the oceans take up less CO2 in future, more would accumulate in the atmosphere - further warming the air and oceans.

We are in a climate emergency.