The Met Office classified the UK's current marine heatwave as "extreme," the third and most intense this year, with sea temperatures averaging 2°C above normal and some locations reaching 4–5°C above normal. The rapid onset was driven by last month's European heat dome and a lack of cooling between back-to-back land heatwaves, according to the Met Office. Globally, the Copernicus Climate Change Service and Copernicus Marine Service confirmed that sea surface temperatures have now surpassed the previous June records set in 2023 and 2024. Scientists warned that prolonged elevated temperatures could trigger mass-mortality events for marine species and alter fish and shellfish distributions. The UK assessment follows the 21 June Copernicus finding that ocean surface temperatures outside polar regions had already exceeded prior June highs.
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The UK assessment follows the 21 June Copernicus finding that ocean surface temperatures outside polar regions had already exceeded prior June highs.
