The State of Global Climate report confirms that 2023 was the hottest year on record and that records were also broken for greenhouse gas levels, surface temperatures, ocean heat and acidification, sea level rise, Antarctic Sea ice cover and glacier retreat.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo says “Climate change is about much more than temperatures. What we witnessed in 2023, especially with the unprecedented ocean warmth, glacier retreat and Antarctic sea ice loss,” she said.
On an average day in 2023, nearly one third of the global ocean was gripped by a marine heatwave, harming vital ecosystems and food systems. Towards the end of 2023, over 90% of the ocean had experienced heatwave conditions at some point during the year.
With our oceans absorbing significant amounts of atmospheric heat, they play a critical role in global climate and weather. Understanding ocean conditions is vital to predicting and defining current and future weather patterns.
In Australia, IMOS provides essential ocean observations, including physical, biological, biogeochemical and atmospheric measurements, to help understand the state, trends and future conditions of our oceans.
The State of Global Climate report cites publications that use data from a number of IMOS Facilities, including Argo Floats, Expendable Bathythermographs, Biogeochemical and Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Sensors on Ships of Opportunity, Moorings, Acidification moorings, and Satellite Remote Sensing SST products.
This demonstrates the value of the sustained ocean observations IMOS provides, improving our understanding of conditions, species and habitats to support management and protection of our precious marine estate.