Ocean heat reaches record highs as El Niño looms

Global ocean surface temperatures in June hit record highs, with Copernicus Climate Change Service recording about 20.86°C and Copernicus Marine Service about 21°C outside polar regions, signaling a potential new warming phase as El Niño approaches; scientists say the warming is driven by greenhouse gas emissions and could bring more temperature records and heat waves in the US and Europe, where over 46 million people are under extreme heat alerts and Europe has logged thousands of heat-related excess deaths.