State of Ocean Report 2024

UNESCO’s ‘State of Ocean Report, 2024’ reveals critical changes affecting global oceans due to climate change and human activities.

Key Findings of the Report:

• Ocean warming has intensified, now at twice the rate from twenty years ago. Average temperatures have increased by 1.45°C. Hotspots in the Mediterranean, Tropical Atlantic Ocean, and Southern Oceans exceed 2°C.

• Rising sea levels are mainly due to accelerated ice mass loss from Greenland and West Antarctica. Increased ocean warming also contributes significantly.
• Ocean acidification has significantly increased. The oceans absorb about 25% of annual anthropogenic CO2, lowering the pH and potentially doubling acidification by the end of the century.
• Deoxygenation is worsening. Oxygen levels are decreasing, leading to more severe hypoxia across oceanic regions.
  • However, the rate of acceleration due to increased ocean heat content remains uncertain.
• Coastal blue carbon ecosystems like mangroves, seagrasses, and tidal marshes play a crucial role in mitigating the effects of warming and acidification. They are significant carbon stores.
  • However, 20–35% of these ecosystems have been lost since 1970, and their protection is still uncertain.

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