--- title: The Oceans Were Hotter Than Ever in 2025 description: Our oceans reached record temperatures last year. Here's why that matters. canonical: https://time.com/7345060/oceans-record-temperature-2025/ author: Simmone Shah article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-01-09T19:08:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-11T00:45:41.290Z article:section: Climate og:title: The Oceans Were Hotter Than Ever in 2025 og:description: Why that matters. og:url: https://time.com/7345060/oceans-record-temperature-2025/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0ac29ca35766440/6998ccbd1500fb7e38aa6e6f/rising-ocean.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Maritime Storm In Catalonia, Spain. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Oceans Were Hotter Than Ever in 2025 twitter:description: Why that matters. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0ac29ca35766440/6998ccbd1500fb7e38aa6e6f/rising-ocean.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Oceans Were Hotter Than Ever in 2025 > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=49242232-a105-4dfb-ba3b-1cfaa628b412&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Simmone Shah](https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Reporter Jan 9, 2026 7:08 PM UTC  The world’s ocean absorbed more heat in 2025 than in any other year on record. The world’s ocean absorbed more heat in 2025 than in any other year on record. Marc Asensio—Getty Images  by [Simmone Shah](https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Reporter Jan 9, 2026 7:08 PM UTC The Earth’s oceans were hotter in 2025 than in any year since modern measurements began, marking a dangerous new record. New analysis published in the peer-reviewed journal [_Advances in Atmospheric Sciences_](https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-026-5876-0)on Friday found that the upper 2,000 meters (6,561 ft.) of the ocean absorbed a record-setting 23 zettajoules more energy than in 2024—equivelant to roughly 37 times more energy than the world consumed in 2023\. The study examined ocean heat content, which measures how much excess heat energy the world’s oceans store over time. Tracking ocean temperatures is a key way scientists can monitor long-term climate change. That’s because our oceans play a key role in regulating the impact of global carbon emissions in our atmosphere—absorbing about 90% of the excess heat from planetary warming trapped by greenhouse gases [over the past century](https://science.nasa.gov/earth/explore/earth-indicators/ocean-warming/). Researchers also noted that global average sea-surface temperatures, where the ocean water and atmosphere meet, in 2025 were the third highest on record and remained about 0.5°C (1°F) above the 1981–2010 average baseline. Some areas are warming faster than others—the warmest areas included the South Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans, and the Southern Ocean. As oceans get hotter, a range of climate impacts are being unleashed. Warmer oceans contribute to rising sea levels (due in part to the expansion of water molecules as they heat up) and fuels more extreme weather. This includes increasing the intensity of hurricanes while decreasing the speed at which they travel—meaning they can linger longer in one location when they make landfall, potentially leaving more destruction in their wake. We’re already seeing the impacts—last year was only the second year in recorded history in which at least three Category 5 hurricanes formed in the Atlantic basin. **Read More**_:_ [_The World’s First Climate Tipping Point Has Been Crossed, Scientists Say_](https://time.com/7325086/coral-reef-climate-tipping-point-crossed/) Rising ocean temperatures also contribute to the loss of coral reefs, which help support fisheries, and protect coastlines from storm surges and rising sea levels. A 2025 report found that warm-water coral reefs are passing their tipping point, with 80% experiencing unprecedented heat waves, bleaching events, and die back. Today’s report raises alarm bells about the climate impacts the world stands to face due to ocean warming. The authors note that, without global efforts to reduce emissions, temperatures will only continue to rise. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7345060/oceans-record-temperature-2025/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7345060/oceans-record-temperature-2025/"},"headline":"The Oceans Were Hotter Than Ever in 2025","datePublished":"2026-01-09T19:08:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-11T00:45:41.290Z","description":"Here's why that matters.","url":"https://time.com/7345060/oceans-record-temperature-2025/","keywords":["climate change"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0ac29ca35766440/6998ccbd1500fb7e38aa6e6f/rising-ocean.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Simmone Shah","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/"}],"articleSection":"Climate","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0ac29ca35766440/6998ccbd1500fb7e38aa6e6f/rising-ocean.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Maritime Storm In Catalonia, Spain.","caption":"The world’s ocean absorbed more heat in 2025 than in any other year on record.","creditText":"Marc Asensio—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/climate/","name":"Climate"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7345060/oceans-record-temperature-2025/","name":"The Oceans Were Hotter Than Ever in 2025"}}]}] ```