The world is heading for more heat, floods and stronger cyclones because record-breaking ocean temperatures are loading the climate system with enormous amounts of extra energy. More than 90% of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases has been absorbed by the oceans, causing sea surface temperatures to reach record highs. Warmer oceans increase evaporation, adding more moisture to the atmosphere, which fuels heavier rainfall, flash floods and more intense tropical cyclones. They also release more heat into the air, making heatwaves over land more frequent and severe. The developing El Niño is expected to amplify these effects by bringing additional warmth to the atmosphere and oceans, increasing the likelihood of extreme weather events such as marine heatwaves, droughts, heavy rainfall and powerful storms across many parts of the world.
