The third World Ocean Assessment, released on June 8, offers scientific insights into the health of the Earth’s oceans based on the collective work of approximately 600 experts from 86 countries.The Assessment
The third World Ocean Assessment, released on June 8, offers scientific insights into the health of the Earth’s oceans based on the collective work of approximately 600 experts from 86 countries.
The Assessment reveals that the ocean continues to be under severe and accelerating anthropogenic pressure, from the surface to the deep sea, driven by climate change, pollution and increased human activities.
Approximately 16% of the total increase in ocean heat content since 1955 has occurred since 2018. The greatest relative warming has been observed in the Atlantic Ocean and the southern parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The sea level continues to rise at increasing rates, from less than 2.0 mm per year prior to 2015 to 4.3 mm per year in 2023.
The extent of Arctic sea ice continues to decrease, and the Southern Ocean has recently shown declines in sea ice extent. The Arctic Ocean could become entirely ice-free in September by the middle of the 21st century.
Ocean CO2 uptake and ocean acidification continue to increase, although these trends exhibit high spatial and interannual variability due to weather and climate conditions.
Global ocean deoxygenation persists due to rising water temperature (which reduces oxygen
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