El Niño approaches record Pacific Ocean temperatures

Despite the notable rise recorded by Japanese measurements, the Copernicus program explained that comparing current ocean temperatures with historical records has become more complex due to the general rise in global ocean temperatures. Therefore, a new index has been developed to allow for a more accurate assessment of the phenomenon's intensity.

According to this index, the current El Niño has not yet exceeded the intensity of the major events witnessed globally during 1982–1983, 1997–1998, and 2015–2016, which are among the strongest El Niño cases recorded in history.

In a related context, the average global sea surface temperature in September reached 21.05 degrees Celsius, setting a new record and surpassing the figure recorded in September 2023, which was 20.92 degrees Celsius.

September also ranked as the second-hottest September on record, with the global average air temperature reaching 16.27 degrees Celsius, which is about 1.63 degrees Celsius higher than the average for the pre-industrial reference period between 1850 and 1900.

Experts expect global temperatures to continue exceeding the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold above pre-industrial levels until 2027, in light of continued global warming and growing concerns over the repercussions of extreme climate phenomena.