--- title: "Ocean Hits Highest Recorded Temperature, Still Rising" description: "At nearly 70 degrees, the ocean has hit its highest recorded temperature in history — and scientists say it's only likely to continue to rise." date: "2023-08-06" modified: "2023-08-06" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ocean-hits-highest-recorded-temperature" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "climate change" - "ocean temperature" - "oceans" - "the digest" --- # Ocean Hits Highest Recorded Temperature, Still Rising ![At nearly 70 degrees, the ocean has hit its highest recorded temperature in history — and scientists say it's only likely to continue to rise.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Dire Straits More grim news from Earth's oceans. As [the *BBC* reports](), new data from European Union climate change authority Copernicus shows that our oceans, at a staggering average of near-70 degrees Fahrenheit, have officially broken all previous heat records. And unfortunately, according to the sobering report, scientists are only expecting those temperatures to keep rising — likely spelling [dire consequences]() for the marine plants and animals that call the briny deep their home. "The fact that we've seen the record now," Copernicus scientist Samantha Burgess told the *BBC*, "makes me nervous about how much warmer the ocean may get between now and next March." "The more we burn fossil fuels, the more excess heat will be taken out by the oceans," she added, "which means the longer it will take to stabilize them and get them back to where they were." ## Hot Tub Ocean The Copernicus report also comes on the heels of reports that water off Florida's coasts has reached [hot tub-level temperatures](), a reality [described by]() the nonprofit Coral Restoration Foundation as a "severe and urgent crisis" that could cause a devastating coral die-off. "The water feels like a bath when you jump in," said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist Kathryn Lesneski, who according to the *BBC* is currently observing the ongoing marine heatwave in the Gulf of Mexico. "There is widespread coral bleaching at shallow reefs in Florida and many corals have already died." ## El Niño It is worth noting that the El Niño — a periodic climate pattern that occurs when a band of warm ocean water from the west coast of South America rises to the surface, resulting in warmer temperatures worldwide — has been in effect this year. And as the *BBC* points out, the year that held the now-previous record for hottest ocean temps, 2016, was also an El Niño year. That said, it would be foolish to suggest that El Niño is the sole culprit here. Between waste pollution, overfishing, and greenhouse gas emissions, we've treated our oceans horribly — and the devastating impacts of the humanity-induced [climate crisis]() are increasingly [starting to show](). "We are putting oceans under more stress," Matt Frost, a researcher at the Plymouth Marine Lab in the UK, told the *BBC*, "than we have done at any point in history." **More on the ocean crisis:** [*Florida's Ocean Now Officially the Temperature of a Hot Tub*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()