PETALING JAYA: Malaysia marks World Ocean Day today amid concerns stated in a global report that the seas are experiencing one of their warmest years on record after an unprecedented ocean heatwave blasted the South-West Pacific region last year.
A report from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said that nearly 40 million square kilometres of ocean around South-East Asia and the Pacific had been engulfed by moderate to strong heatwaves in January, April, May and June of last year.
This led to average regional ocean temperatures increasing by 0.48°C, making the ocean heat content last year the highest on record.
The heatwave also led to rapid melting of the last remaining tropical glacier in the western part of Papua New Guinea with total ice loss now expected to occur by next year or soon thereafter.
According to the report, satellite measurements displayed sea levels in the region rising by almost 4mm last year, much higher than the global average sea level increase of 3.5mm.
Having encompassed more than 10% of the global ocean surface area, WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo said the heatwave is believed to have caused long-term damage to regional marine ecosystems.
“Ocean heat and acidification combined to inflict long-lasting damage to marine ecosystems and economies.
“Sea-level rise is also becoming an increasingly existential threat to island nations in the region and it is increasingly evident that we are fast running out of time to turn the tide,” she said in the report released on Thursday.
World Ocean Day takes place on June 8 every year.
It serves as a United Nations platform for non-governmental organisations and civil society to express their views on environmental issues affecting oceans.
This year’s theme, “Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us”, focuses on the inherent wonder of the ocean and its creatures as well as its role in sustaining life on earth.
