Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

A view of the sunset in Manila Bay along Roxas Boulevard on April 13, 2021. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News

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<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177579091844020210413-manila-bay-dolomite-GC-0005.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A view of the sunset in Manila Bay along Roxas Boulevard on April 13, 2021. <em>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span>PARIS, France — Ocean temperatures hit near-record highs for March, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Friday, signaling a likely shift toward El Niño conditions that can amplify heat extremes on an already warming planet.</div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/overseas/03/29/19/ocean-heat-hits-record-high-un">Ocean heat hits record high: UN</a></div><p>Copernicus said average sea surface temperatures were 20.97C in March, the second-highest value ever for the month, and the hottest since 2024 during the last El Niño, when global heat records toppled.</p><p>This reflected &quot;a likely transition toward El Nino conditions&quot;, said Copernicus, the European Union&#x27;s global warming monitor.</p><p>Several meteorological agencies had predicted the return this year of El Niño, a natural climate cycle that warms Pacific waters and can bring higher global temperatures and extreme weather.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/weather-traffic/2026/3/2/el-nino-may-return-in-2026-and-make-planet-even-hotter-1451">El Nino may return in 2026 and make planet even hotter</a></div><p>The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said last month an opposite, cooling La Niña cycle was tipped to give way to neutral conditions before swinging into El Niño later this year.</p><p>The most recent El Niño in 2023-2024 was one of the five strongest ever measured and contributed to making those years the second-hottest and hottest on record, respectively.</p><p>Scientists say La Niña and El Niño are natural cycles that cause short-term temperature swings, against a backdrop of human-driven climate change that is raising global temperatures and worsening extreme weather over the long term.</p><p>Oceans absorb most of the excess heat caused by humanity&#x27;s carbon emissions and therefore play a key role in regulating the global climate.</p><p>Hotter seas can have damaging knock-on effects on the planet, fueling stronger storms and rainfall, bleaching coral reefs, and contribute to sea-level rise through thermal expansion.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;SOBERING STORY&#x27; </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>More broadly, Copernicus said that last month was the fourth-hottest March on record, with global average temperatures 1.48C above the pre-industrial benchmark.</p><p>Almost the whole of Europe experienced warmer-than-average temperatures in March but the most pronounced extremes were in the United States where a prolonged heatwave gripped the west.</p><p>Much of the Arctic, and parts of Russia and Antarctica, also saw above-average temperatures.</p><p>Last month also saw the lowest Arctic sea ice cover on record for the month, another bellwether of climate change.</p><p>&quot;Copernicus data for March 2026 tells a sobering story,&quot; Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo said in a statement.</p><p>&quot;Each figure is striking on its own -- together, they paint a picture of a climate system under sustained and accelerating pressure.&quot;</p><p>Copernicus takes measurements using billions of satellite and weather readings, both on land and at sea, and their data extends back to 1940.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JicDtczUTnI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fIZNVwLs8vk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Ocean temperatures hit near-record highs for March, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Friday, signaling a likely shift toward El Niño conditions that can amplify heat extremes on an already warming planet.</p>

Ocean temperatures hit near-record highs for March, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Friday, signaling a likely shift toward El Niño conditions that can amplify heat extremes on an already warming planet.

Ocean temperatures near record high in March: EU monitor

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Ocean temperatures near record high in March: EU monitor

Nick Perry,

Agence France-Presse

Published April 10, 2026 11:37 AM PHT

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Agence France-Presse

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