Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Sophie Kevany

Surge in marine heatwaves costs lives and billions in storm damage – study

Aerial picture shows villagers looking at a dead sperm whale in shallow water.
A sperm whale died after stranding at Yeh Malet beach in Bali, in April 2023 – warmer ocean temperatures increase the risk of similar events. Photograph: Dicky Bisinglasi/AFP/Getty Images

The world’s oceans experienced three-and-a-half times as many marine heatwave days last year and in 2023 compared with any other year on record, a study has found.

The sustained spike in ocean temperatures cost lives and caused billions of dollars in storm damage, increased whale and dolphin stranding risks, harmed commercial fishing and sparked a global coral bleaching, according to the paper published on Friday in Nature Climate Change.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.