The Earth’s oceans have warmed for the sixth consecutive year in 2021, setting a new record with the highest water temperatures recorded in the last seventy years, since data has been recorded, the Guardian reports.
Water temperatures in the top two kilometers of ocean water increased last year by at least 15 zettajoules over the previous year, according to two independent research organizations. Since 2018, ocean temperatures have increased at least 30 zettajoules, an increase of 15%.
“The ocean heat content is relentlessly increasing, globally, and this is a primary indicator of human-induced climate change,” said Kevin Trenberth, a climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado and co-author of the research.