Almost 40 million sq kilometres of ocean around south-east Asia and the Pacific \u2013 an area five times the size of Australia \u2013 was engulfed in a marine heatwave in 2024, a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report has revealed.<\/p>\n
WMO scientists said the record heat \u2013 on land and in the ocean \u2013 was mostly driven by the climate crisis and coincided with a string of extreme weather events, from deadly landslides in the Philippines to floods in Australia and rapid glacier loss in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
A graph showing annual regional mean land and ocean temperatures. Composite: HadCRUT5, Berkeley Earth, NOAAGlobalTemp and GISTEMP<\/p>\n
The region was 0.48C hotter than the average recorded between 1991 and 2020, the WMO\u2019s State of the Climate report stated.<\/p>\n
Satellite measurements showed sea levels were rising almost 4mm per year \u2013 \u201csignificantly higher\u201d than the global average of 3.5mm, the report said.<\/p>\n
The WMO secretary general, Prof Celeste Saulo, said ocean heat and acidification had combined to \u201cinflict long-lasting damage\u201d to marine ecosystems and economies.<\/p>\n
\u201cSea-level rise is an existential threat to entire island nations. It is increasingly evident that we are fast running out of time to turn the tide,\u201d Saulo said.<\/p>\n
A flooded street in Manila last year amid heavy rains brought by Typhoon Gaemi. Photograph: Ted Aljibe\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
The report said extreme events that coincided with 2024\u2019s heat included:<\/p>\n
Extreme rainfall in the Philippines in January and February causing flooding and landslides, killing at least 93 people<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Early-season heatwave in Australia resulting in record August temperatures<\/a> across the country\u2019s centre.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Major flooding in Singapore and Malaysia, displacing 137,000 people and killing six.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Flash flooding in March on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and major flooding in north Australia at the start of 2024.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Rapid glacier loss in the west of New Guinea island, Indonesia, where the report said total ice loss could occur by 2026 or soon after.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The Philippines struck by 12 tropical cyclones \u2013 double the average \u2013 with damage estimated at US$430m.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n