Ocean surface temperatures reached a record high in June, European scientists warned on Wednesday, fueling fears of more dangerous heat waves this summer and intensifying concerns about the escalating global climate crisis.Two services under the European Union's Copernicus Earth observation programme – the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the Copernicus Marine Service – said they had independently confirmed the record temperatures.Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, warned that the rising temperatures could mark the "beginning of a new phase.""With ocean temperatures at these levels and El Niño on the horizon, we are likely to see more temperature records fall in the coming months," Buontempo said in a statement on Wednesday.El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern in which the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean becomes warmer than usual for several months.The world could be heading into "uncharted territory," Buontempo warned.According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the Copernicus Marine Service, global ocean surface temperatures outside the polar regions reached record levels on June 21, surpassing those recorded for the same time of year in both 2023 and 2024.The Copernicus Climate Change Service said temperatures reached 20.86 degrees Celsius (69.54 degrees Fahrenheit) that day, exceeding the 20.83 degrees Celsius (69.49 degrees Fahrenheit) recorded in 2023 and 2024.Meanwhile, the Copernicus Marine Service recorded a temperature of 21 degrees Celsius (69.8 degrees Fahrenheit), surpassing the previous records set in 2023 and 2024 by 0.1 degree Celsius.Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.