Earth’s oceans absorbed energy equal to 12 hiroshima bombs every second in 2025, breaking nine-year warming record

The world’s oceans continued their relentless warming trend in 2025, marking the ninth consecutive year of increasing global ocean heat content, according to a major international study published Friday in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. The staggering scale of this energy absorption becomes clear when put in perspective: every single second of last year, Earth’s oceans absorbed heat equivalent to 12 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs.

This alarming finding comes from a comprehensive analysis conducted by more than 50 scientists representing 31 international research institutions, who collaborated to measure ocean temperatures across the globe. The research reveals that our oceans are acting as massive heat sponges, absorbing the vast majority of excess energy trapped by greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.

The consequences of this unprecedented ocean warming extend far beyond rising sea temperatures. Scientists warn that this massive accumulation of thermal energy is directly fueling the extreme weather patterns we’re witnessing worldwide – from intensified hurricanes and typhoons to severe coastal flooding. The warming waters are also wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems, causing coral bleaching events, disrupting fish migration patterns, and threatening the delicate balance of ocean food chains.

This nine-year warming streak underscores the urgent reality of climate change’s impact on our planet’s largest ecosystem. As oceans continue to absorb excess heat at this extraordinary rate, researchers emphasize that immediate global action is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent even more catastrophic changes to our marine environments and weather systems.