The combined impact of a strong El Niño and climate change has officially pushed ocean surface temperatures past the record set in 2024—the hottest year on record. Two separate services under the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation program independently confirmed the new record today, announcing that global sea surface temperatures overshot the 2024 peak for this time of year on June 21. That day, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) observed a global sea surface temperature of 69.55 degrees Fahrenheit (20.86 degrees Celsius), while the Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS) measured temperatures reaching 69.8 degrees F (21 degrees C). The record set in 2024 was 69.5 degrees F (20.83 degrees C). The temperatures observed last month are less than one degree higher, but Copernicus experts say the overshoot will have consequences for weather patterns, the global climate, and marine ecosystems. “Current conditions could indicate the beginning of a new phase, leading, once more, to uncharted territory,” Carlo Buontempo, Copernicus Climate Change Service Director at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), said in a statement. “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.”