Unprecedented marine heat waves scorched the Southwest Pacific in 2024, affecting over 10% of the global ocean surface and threatening the region’s ecosystems, including its last remaining tropical glacier, according to a new report from the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Average temperatures in the region—which includes Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, and the Philippines—rose nearly 0.5°C above the 1991–2020 mean. “Much of the region saw at least severe marine heat wave conditions,” said WMO scientist Blair Trewin, with the ocean’s heat affecting 40 million square kilometres.
The WMO report highlighted record-breaking ocean surface temperatures and the second-highest annual average for total ocean heat content, trailing only 2022. New temperature highs were logged in both the Philippines and Australia. The ocean heat, attributed to climate change, intensified the frequency and severity of cyclones, especially in the Philippines during October and November.
The Southwest Pacific also faces a rising sea level at a rate exceeding the global average—critical in a region where over 50% of the population lives within 500 metres of the coast.
In a stark warning, the report noted Indonesia’s lone tropical glacier—on western New Guinea—lost up to 50% of its mass in 2024. “If this rate of loss continues, this glacier could be gone by 2026 or shortly thereafter,” said WMO’s Thea Turkington.
Swifteradio.com
