Heatwaves, Wildfires Drive Global Ozone Spike | GRAVITAS

Oceans are warming at an alarming pace, which may have far-reaching consequences, for which the world is seemingly unprepared.

To put this into context, the amount of heat absorbed by oceans last year was equivalent to the energy of 12 Hiroshima bombs going off every second for a year. According to the Copernicus ocean state report, this was almost 40 times the energy consumed by the entire planet in 2025.

The report highlighted that global oceans are absorbing roughly 90% of the excess heat produced by humans burning fossil fuels, thereby triggering changes that could reshape marine ecosystems, coastlines and communities.

Let's break it down further for you.

According to this report, the sea surface temperature has been rising at 0.12 degrees Celsius per decade and reached its third highest level on record last year. Since 1999, the sea level has been rising by 3.88 millimetres per year.

As far as ocean warming is concerned, it has been accelerating since 1960. Last year though, the total amount of heat stored in the ocean reached its highest level.

This is not all.

Oceans have become 17% more acidic as compared to four decades ago. Ocean acidification is particularly harmful for underwater ecosystems, making it harder for oysters, lobsters and corals to build and maintain shells.

The report also flagged that the Mediterranean and Black seas experienced record-breaking marine heatwaves last year, with temperatures in some regions exceeding 4.6 degrees Celsius above average.

On the other hand, the monthly average sea ice in the Arctic reduced by roughly the size of Spain per decade from 1979 to 2025.

In wake of these dramatic changes, scientists called for sustained monitoring of oceans to ensure that governments and communities have the information they need to prepare for what is coming.

Now, due to a heat wave and low winter snowfall, glaciers in Switzerland have lost 5.5 percent of their ice volume this year, which is the second-biggest percentage drop on record.

According to the Swiss glacier monitoring service, Alpine glaciers have no chance of surviving in the long term under such conditions.

The trend has worsened over time, with glacier ice volume in Switzerland declining by 20% over the last five years.

However, scientists have squarely placed the blame for this on growing human emissions.

Now, the impact of this cannot be understated.

Switzerland's loss of water from July to September due to the accelerated ice melt amounts to four times its annual water consumption.

Also, it is worth noting that Switzerland's glaciers feed some of Europe's key rivers, including the Danube and Rhine.