The United Nations’ third World Ocean Assessment says human and natural factors
are increasingly stressing marine ecosystems and calls for translating
scientific findings into concrete action and greater international cooperation
to protect oceans. The report finds global ocean warming and sea level rise are
accelerating: about 16% of the total increase in ocean heat content since 1955
occurred after 2018, with the Atlantic, southern Indian Ocean and South Pacific
warming most markedly. Mean sea level rise accelerated from under 2 mm/yr before
2015 to 4.3 mm/yr in 2023, with tropical regions rising faster due to thermal
expansion.
