Ocean heat hit a record high in 2018, the United Nations said Thursday, raising urgent new concerns about the threat global warming is posing to marine life.
In its latest State of the Climate overview, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reaffirmed that the last four years had been the hottest on record — figures previously announced in provisional drafts of the flagship report.
But the final version of the report highlighted worrying developments in other climate indicators beyond surface temperature. "2018 saw new records for ocean heat content in the upper 700 metres," a WMO statement said.