The Pacific Ocean is currently in the grip of one of the largest marine heatwaves ever recorded, with vast stretches of water running several degrees …
1/5170 million sq km of ocean, several degrees too warm: A massive marine heatwave has spread across roughly 170 million sq km of the Pacific — nearly 13.5% of Earth’s total surface — stretching from the Philippines to Peru and from the equator up toward Hawaii and California, with 37% of the world’s oceans currently in similar heatwave conditions. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
2/5Why the Pacific matters so much: Covering about one-third of Earth’s surface, the Pacific acts like a giant storehouse of heat. As warm water evaporates, it pumps moisture into the atmosphere, influencing jet streams, rainfall, and storms across Asia, Australia, North and South America, and even parts of Africa. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
3/5Greenhouse gases, El Niño and weak winds collide: Greenhouse gases are trapping more heat in Earth’s climate system, and with oceans absorbing over 90% of that excess heat, a weakened Pacific Meridional Mode and a strengthening El Niño have combined to super-charge the warming. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
4/5Marine life and rising seas pay the price: Corals are already bleaching, and fish are fleeing to cooler waters, while warm water itself is physically expanding through thermal expansion, raising sea levels and coastal flooding risk even without extra ice melting. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
5/5The India connection and the bigger picture: Though the Pacific lies far from India’s coast, a strong El Niño linked to this warming can weaken the southwest monsoon and shift rainfall patterns, a reminder that no single heatwave causes every flood or storm, but as oceans keep warming, extreme weather is becoming the new normal for billions. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)