The Copernicus Climate Change Service, a European Union agency, has reported that the average global sea surface temperature reached an all-time high on Friday and Saturday, surpassing previous records set in March 2024. This unprecedented heat is attributed to the intensifying El Nino phenomenon and human-induced climate change, which are putting considerable strain on the world's oceans. The record temperature of 21.1 degrees Celsius (69.98 degrees Fahrenheit) was particularly noteworthy as it was set in August, usually a time when ocean temperatures begin to decline. Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), explained that the oceans will continue to heat up until El Nino reaches its peak between November and January. The World Meteorological Organization anticipates that El Nino will strengthen in the coming months, with Copernicus' seasonal forecasting system indicating that it could reach levels not seen for several decades. The increased heat from El Nino comes on top of long-term fossil fuel-driven warming, which has already raised ocean temperatures by 0.8C (1.44F). Rising ocean temperatures have far-reaching consequences for marine ecosystems and coastal communities, including contributing to sea-level rise, increasing the likelihood and intensity of marine heatwaves, damaging coral reefs and seagrass beds, disrupting food chains, threatening industries such as fishing and aquaculture, weakening one of the planet's key defenses against climate change, and supplying more heat and moisture to the atmosphere, potentially enhancing extreme weather events. Jane Lubchenco, an oceanographer and former head of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, found this development very troubling, stating that a warmer ocean destabilizes weather patterns, threatens food security, economic prosperity, and marine life, emphasizing that a warmer ocean is not our friend.