In 2024, a staggering marine heatwave, encompassing nearly 40 million square kilometers of ocean, engulfed these vital waters. This phenomenon was primarily attributed by WMO scientists to the pervasive influence of the climate crisis, coinciding with a series of devastating extreme weather events across the region.
The WMO’s “State of the Climate” report revealed that the region experienced an average temperature 0.48°C hotter than the 1991-2020 baseline. Satellite measurements further underscored the severity of the situation, significantly exceeding the global average of 3.5mm. This expedited sea-level rise poses an existential threat, particularly to low-lying island nations. Professor Celeste Saulo, the WMO Secretary-General, emphasized the dire consequences of this unprecedented warming. She stated that the combination of ocean heat and acidification had already inflicted “long-lasting damage” upon marine ecosystems and the economies that depend on them.
The WMO report meticulously documented several extreme events that occurred concurrently with the 2024 heatwave, highlighting the interconnectedness of these climate-induced disasters. In the Philippines, January and February witnessed extreme rainfall, leading to widespread flooding and deadly landslides that claimed at least 93 lives. Australia experienced an unusually early heatwave, resulting in record August temperatures across its central regions. Flash flooding also struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra in March, while northern Australia faced significant inundation at the beginning of 2024. The report specifically noted that during January, April, May, and June of 2024, nearly 40 million square kilometers of the region’s ocean surface experienced moderate to strong heatwave conditions. This profound ocean warming was directly linked to the fifth mass coral bleaching event observed across Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef since 2016, leading to extensive coral mortality and further jeopardizing the health of these vital marine ecosystems.
Associate Professor Alex Sen Gupta admitted that scientists are struggling to explain why they saw such a big jump, underscoring the complexity and unprecedented nature of current oceanic warming trends. The findings of the WMO report serve as a sobering testament to the accelerating pace of climate change and the urgent need for comprehensive global efforts to mitigate its devastating impacts on vulnerable regions and ecosystems.
