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

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.