Thanks to coordinated climate services such as the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS), we know that the average ocean temperature has now exceeded normal levels for this time of year for twelve consecutive years. This year we are witnessing a historic record, fuelled in part by the development of the El Niño phenomenon in the equatorial Pacific. This event is expected to be more intense than usual, which has led to the coining of terms such as ‘super El Niño’ or ‘Godzilla El Niño’. Beyond the sensationalism of these labels, El Niño is a cyclical phenomenon with significant local and remote impacts, the influence of which is likely to further increase the global average atmospheric temperature by 2027.

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