"That heat is so extreme that it's calculated in zettajoules, a measurement equal to one sextillion joules. In 2025 alone, ocean heat increased 23 zettajoules-or 23,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 joules of energy. That figure is daunting to understand. For comparison, the Hiroshima atomic bomb "Little Boy" exploded with an energy of about 63,000,000,000,000 joules. That means in 2025, the amount of heat the oceans absorbed is equivalent to more than 365 million atomic bombs-or,"
"It's more than 200 times the entire global use of electricity. 'Global warming is really ocean warming' The figure on ocean warming comes from a new analysis published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, conducted by more than 50 scientists from 31 global research institutions. Ocean heat is important to pay attention to because it's a barometer for climate change. The ocean acts as a heat sink for our emissions."
Global ocean temperatures reached a record high in 2025, with oceans absorbing an unprecedented 23 zettajoules of heat. That energy equals roughly 23,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 joules—more than 365 million Hiroshima atomic bombs, or about 37 years of global primary energy consumption. The ocean absorbs over 90% of excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions, making ocean heat a primary indicator of planetary warming. Increased ocean heat drives sea level rise, intensifies heatwaves and storms like hurricanes, and damages marine ecosystems through coral bleaching and disrupted food webs, amplifying ecological and societal climate impacts.
Read at Fast Company
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