The ocean has shielded us from the worst of climate change. Now it is running a fever | Karina Von Schuckmann

Nearly every indicator of climate change is flashing red. But we still hold the tools available to bring the planet back into balance The ocean is running a fever. In 2025, the number of days of marine heatwaves – prolonged spells when the sea turns abnormally, dangerously warm – was more than triple what it was in the early 1990s. These are not abstract statistics. A severe and persistent marine heatwave bleaches coral reefs, strips away the kelp forests that shelter young fish, empties fishing grounds and – if occurring frequently – can tip whole ecosystems past the point of recovery. Karina Von Schuckmann is an IGCC author and senior adviser of Mercator Ocean International Continue reading...

Karina Von Schuckmann · Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 3:00 AM
US news | The Guardian

The ocean has shielded us from the worst of climate change. Now it is running a fever | Karina Von Schuckmann

Nearly every indicator of climate change is flashing red. But we still hold the tools available to bring the planet back into balance

The ocean is running a fever. In 2025, the number of days of marine heatwaves – prolonged spells when the sea turns abnormally, dangerously warm – was more than triple what it was in the early 1990s.

These are not abstract statistics. A severe and persistent marine heatwave bleaches coral reefs, strips away the kelp forests that shelter young fish, empties fishing grounds and – if occurring frequently – can tip whole ecosystems past the point of recovery.

Karina Von Schuckmann is an IGCC author and senior adviser of Mercator Ocean International

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