health
January 12, 2026
The oceans just keep getting hotter
For the eighth year in a row, the world’s oceans absorbed a record-breaking amount of heat in 2025.
TL;DR
- Ocean heat absorption in 2025 reached a record 23 zettajoules, the highest since modern measurements began in the 1960s.
- This represents the eighth consecutive year of record-breaking ocean heat absorption.
- The 2025 heat absorption is equivalent to the energy of over 12 Hiroshima atomic bombs.
- Oceans absorb over 90% of the excess warming trapped in the atmosphere.
- While sea surface temperatures in 2025 were slightly lower than 2024, deep ocean heat content continues to rise.
- Data collection methods include Argo floats, buoys, ship hulls, satellites, and instrumented animals.
- The heat absorbed by the deep ocean will take hundreds of years to circulate, even if fossil fuel use stops today.
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