Ocean temperatures broke a new record in 2022 and fueled extreme weather

Climate change and its impact on the oceans 1:36

(CNN) --

The world's oceans registered their hottest temperature on record in 2022, breaking a record for the fourth year in a row in a worrying sign of the climate crisis sparked by the emission of gases into the atmosphere.

According to a study by an international team of scientists from 16 institutes around the world, the five warmest years for the oceans have all occurred in the last six years and the rate at which the oceans are warming is increasing.

• The moment when a Chilean glacier collapses on a river due to high temperatures

The study published Wednesday in the academic journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences looked at temperatures from the ocean surface down to 2,000 meters, examining data dating back to the 1950s.

The results are worrisome: "The state of our oceans serves as a measure of the health of the world, and judging by up-to-date ocean observations...we need a doctor," the author team says in a press release.

In energy terms, the amount of heat added to the oceans in 2022 is equivalent to 100 times the total global electricity generation last year, the researchers noted.

The oceans are a good indicator of the real impact of climate change because, compared to air temperatures, they are less affected by seasonal changes and daily weather cycles.

The oceans, which cover almost three-quarters of the Earth's surface, absorb most of the planet's heat.

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Since 1970, more than 90% of the planet's excess heat has gone to the oceans, according to the study.

The scientists stated that the long-term global warming trend is currently so constant and robust that annual records continue to be broken every year.

“Until we reach net zero emissions, warming will continue and we will continue to break ocean heat records, as we did this year.

Better knowledge and understanding of the oceans is the foundation for action to combat climate change," said Michael Mann, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the study's authors.

• Dead little blue penguins continue to wash up on the shores of New Zealand.

  Experts point to climate change as the possible culprit

Why is ocean warming important?

The Pacific ocean and coastline in Ventura, California.

Scientists reported Wednesday that the oceans continue to warm at an increasingly rapid rate, which will cause further rise in sea levels and extreme weather events.

Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images

The warming of the oceans has major implications for the lives of millions of people.

It supercharges weather patterns to create more powerful storms, hurricanes, and heavy rainfall, and makes it easier for storms to intensify rapidly, such as Hurricane Ian, which struck the Caribbean and Florida in late September.

Warming is also a key driver of sea level rise, because additional heat causes the oceans to expand.

When water is heated, its molecules move faster and spread out more, increasing its volume.

This causes further coastal erosion and storm surge, such as when Hurricane Nicole hit the Daytona Beach area of ​​Florida in November.

• Sea level rise threatens millions of people in coastal cities around the world

Rising temperatures also mean ocean waters have less oxygen, affecting marine life and hurting fishing communities and their economies.

It's not just the oceans that are warming up rapidly.

An analysis by the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service published on Tuesday shows that the past eight years have been the warmest eight on record, as the increasing concentration of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere pushes global temperatures toward a dangerous tipping point.

-- CNN's Rachel Ramirez and Brandon Miller contributed to this report.

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