Climate Action

Global climate change: How much is the ocean warming by?

The data for ocean warming figures (near-surface temperatures) comes from ships, buoys and satellite measurements.

The data for ocean warming figures (near-surface temperatures) comes from ships, buoys and satellite measurements. Image: REUTERS/Natalie Thomas

Katharina Buchholz
Data Journalist, Statista
  • In 2020, global ocean warming temperature was 0.76 degrees Celsius higher than the average temperature for the past one hundred years.
  • While the annual divergence fluctuates, with some years hotter and others cooler, there is a definite upward trend, visible in the data.
  • Continuing global warming is set to increase the strength, frequency, spatial extent and duration of extreme weather events.

Annual average temperatures of the oceans’ surfaces have been diverging from the 20th century (1900-1999) average more and more since the 1980s. In 2020, global ocean surface temperatures were 0.76 degrees Celsius higher than that century’s average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Have you read?

Ocean warming trends

While the annual divergence fluctuates (as some years happen to be hotter and others colder), there is still a definite upwards trend visible in the data. The year with the biggest divergence on record was 2016 when measured ocean temperatures were 0.79 degrees Celsius higher than the stated average.

A chart showing ocean warming trends from the 20th century
A chart showing ocean warming trends from the 20th century Image: Statista

The global data for near-surface temperatures come from ships, buoys and satellite measurements of the oceans. While fluctuations are a normal phenomenon, an increase in the number of years that are warmer on average is expected due to climate change, which is the increase of global average and mean land and ocean warming temperatures. According to scientific findings, continuing global warming will lead to changes in the strength, frequency, spatial extent and duration of extreme weather events.

Loading...
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Future of the Environment

Related topics:
Climate ActionNature and Biodiversity
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Future of the Environment is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

Could Chinese hot pot fuel your next flight?

Giorgio Parolini and Yiran He

December 6, 2024

Can climate tech save our cities?

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum