EU Copernicus Ocean State Report 8 highlights unprecedented impacts on our ocean

The 8th edition of the EU Copernicus Ocean State Report describes an ocean characterised by increased warming, melting sea ice, widespread and intensifying marine heatwaves, and an unexpected phytoplankton bloom.

The 8th edition of the EU Copernicus Ocean State Report, published by the Copernicus Marine Service, highlights the pace and extent of ocean warming due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. It reports a series of record-breaking ocean temperatures, marine heatwaves stretching down deep into the ocean, unprecedented sea ice loss and rising levels of heat stored in the ocean. The annual report, coordinated by Mercator Ocean International, also showcases several success stories, from our improved monitoring of the ocean and extreme events to the sustainable use of its resources. 

The state of the ocean

Unprecedented marine heatwaves — temporary, prolonged, and anomalously warm water events — are striking more frequently and with greater intensity in many parts of the ocean. As the planet warms, more heat is being stored in the ocean, and the rate of this warming has doubled over the past two decades. Rising ocean temperatures affect all aspects of the marine world, from biodiversity, to chemistry, to fundamental oceanographic processes — as well as the global climate. Sea ice in Antarctica has also fallen to the lowest levels since satellite records began and is rapidly declining in the Arctic.  

Here are a few key statistics:

• 22% of the global ocean surface experienced at least one severe to extreme marine heatwave event in 2023.
• The warming of the world ocean has accelerated at a relatively consistent pace since 1960. Since 2005 the rate of ocean warming has doubled.
• The Arctic region lost 4 % of sea ice per decade during the period 1979-2023.

In Europe, waters around the Balearic Islands faced the highest temperatures reached in this region for forty years. Other records were broken in the Iberian-Biscay-Ireland region in 2022, where marine heatwaves lasted 145 days (almost 5 months) on average. Moreover, nearly two-thirds of the Baltic Sea suffered marine heatwaves in 2022.

Yet as the OSR8 highlights, new innovations and technologies developed by scientists are helping us to better understand the changing ocean, support coastal livelihoods and draw resources from the ocean more sustainably. The OSR 8 also describes how the Copernicus Marine Service’s state-of-the-art Mediterranean Forecasting System could detect a record-breaking heatwave ten days in advance during the summer of 2022. 

Explore the interactive summary 

The OSR8 is a contributing initiative to the EU Mission: Restore Our Ocean and Waters. It serves as a reference for the scientific community, national and international bodies, decision-makers, blue economy actors, and the public.

Copernicus, Europe's eyes on Earth, is the Earth observation component of the European Union's Space programme. Funded by the EU, Copernicus is a unique instrument that looks at our planet and its environment to benefit all European citizens.

Download Report