Unprecedented marine heat in the ocean around Australia
Unprecedented heat waves in the Southwest Pacific affected more than 10 per cent of the global ocean surface in 2024, damaging coral reefs and putting the region's last remaining tropical glacier at risk of extinction, the UN's weather body reported.
Average 2024 temperatures in the region - which covers Australia and New Zealand as well as southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and the Philippines - were nearly half a degree Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 mean, the World Meteorological Organisation said in an annual report.
"Much of the region saw at least severe marine heat wave conditions at some point during the course of 2024, particularly in areas near and south of the equator," said Blair Trewin, one of the report's authors.
Extreme heat over the year affected 40 million square kilometres of ocean, and new temperature highs were set in the Philippines and Australia, the report said. Ocean surface temperatures also broke records, while total ocean heat content was the second-highest annual average, behind 2022.
An unprecedented number of cyclones, which experts have attributed to climate change, caused havoc in the Philippines in October and November.
Sea levels continue to rise more quickly than the global average, an urgent problem in a region where more than half the population live within 500 metres of the coast, the report added.
The report also cited satellite data showing that the region's sole tropical glacier, located in Indonesia on the western part of the island of New Guinea, shrank by up to 50 per cent last year.
"Unfortunately, if this rate of loss continues, this glacier could be gone by 2026 or shortly thereafter," said Thea Turkington, another of the report's authors.
Unprecedented heat waves in the Southwest Pacific affected more than 10 per cent of the global ocean surface in 2024, damaging coral reefs and putting the region's last remaining tropical glacier at risk of extinction, the UN's weather body reported.
Average 2024 temperatures in the region - which covers Australia and New Zealand as well as southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and the Philippines - were nearly half a degree Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 mean, the World Meteorological Organisation said in an annual report.
"Much of the region saw at least severe marine heat wave conditions at some point during the course of 2024, particularly in areas near and south of the equator," said Blair Trewin, one of the report's authors.
Extreme heat over the year affected 40 million square kilometres of ocean, and new temperature highs were set in the Philippines and Australia, the report said. Ocean surface temperatures also broke records, while total ocean heat content was the second-highest annual average, behind 2022.
An unprecedented number of cyclones, which experts have attributed to climate change, caused havoc in the Philippines in October and November.
Sea levels continue to rise more quickly than the global average, an urgent problem in a region where more than half the population live within 500 metres of the coast, the report added.
The report also cited satellite data showing that the region's sole tropical glacier, located in Indonesia on the western part of the island of New Guinea, shrank by up to 50 per cent last year.
"Unfortunately, if this rate of loss continues, this glacier could be gone by 2026 or shortly thereafter," said Thea Turkington, another of the report's authors.
Unprecedented heat waves in the Southwest Pacific affected more than 10 per cent of the global ocean surface in 2024, damaging coral reefs and putting the region's last remaining tropical glacier at risk of extinction, the UN's weather body reported.
Average 2024 temperatures in the region - which covers Australia and New Zealand as well as southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and the Philippines - were nearly half a degree Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 mean, the World Meteorological Organisation said in an annual report.
"Much of the region saw at least severe marine heat wave conditions at some point during the course of 2024, particularly in areas near and south of the equator," said Blair Trewin, one of the report's authors.
Extreme heat over the year affected 40 million square kilometres of ocean, and new temperature highs were set in the Philippines and Australia, the report said. Ocean surface temperatures also broke records, while total ocean heat content was the second-highest annual average, behind 2022.
An unprecedented number of cyclones, which experts have attributed to climate change, caused havoc in the Philippines in October and November.
Sea levels continue to rise more quickly than the global average, an urgent problem in a region where more than half the population live within 500 metres of the coast, the report added.
The report also cited satellite data showing that the region's sole tropical glacier, located in Indonesia on the western part of the island of New Guinea, shrank by up to 50 per cent last year.
"Unfortunately, if this rate of loss continues, this glacier could be gone by 2026 or shortly thereafter," said Thea Turkington, another of the report's authors.
Unprecedented heat waves in the Southwest Pacific affected more than 10 per cent of the global ocean surface in 2024, damaging coral reefs and putting the region's last remaining tropical glacier at risk of extinction, the UN's weather body reported.
Average 2024 temperatures in the region - which covers Australia and New Zealand as well as southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and the Philippines - were nearly half a degree Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 mean, the World Meteorological Organisation said in an annual report.
"Much of the region saw at least severe marine heat wave conditions at some point during the course of 2024, particularly in areas near and south of the equator," said Blair Trewin, one of the report's authors.
Extreme heat over the year affected 40 million square kilometres of ocean, and new temperature highs were set in the Philippines and Australia, the report said. Ocean surface temperatures also broke records, while total ocean heat content was the second-highest annual average, behind 2022.
An unprecedented number of cyclones, which experts have attributed to climate change, caused havoc in the Philippines in October and November.
Sea levels continue to rise more quickly than the global average, an urgent problem in a region where more than half the population live within 500 metres of the coast, the report added.
The report also cited satellite data showing that the region's sole tropical glacier, located in Indonesia on the western part of the island of New Guinea, shrank by up to 50 per cent last year.
"Unfortunately, if this rate of loss continues, this glacier could be gone by 2026 or shortly thereafter," said Thea Turkington, another of the report's authors.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Sun
2 days ago
- Herald Sun
Muslim pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat in hajj apex
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. Muslim pilgrims prayed atop Mount Arafat on Thursday during the high point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, as Saudi officials called on participants to refrain from being outside during the hottest hours of the day. Thousands of pilgrims began to gather before dawn around the hill and the surrounding plain where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon. While some arrived early to take advantage of the relatively cool morning, carrying colourful umbrellas, many pilgrims will remain for hours of prayers and Koran recitals until the evening in the most arduous portion of the hajj. After sunset they will head to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and the sprawling tent city of Mina, where they will gather pebbles so they can perform the symbolic "stoning of the devil". "This is something that I used to see every year on the TV screen during hajj and I always thought: 'I wish I could be here'," said 33-year-old Ali from Pakistan, one of 1.5 million pilgrims who had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage. "I've been trying to get here... for the past 3 years," he added as he gazed at the mount. "I feel very blessed." Hundreds of pilgrims dressed in white dotted the mount itself, with many more at its foot praying or taking pictures. Earlier this week, Saudi authorities called on pilgrims to stay inside their tents between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday, when the desert sun is at its harshest. Fans spraying mist and providing cool air were dispersed at the foot of the mount. Temperatures this year have already exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) as one of the world's largest annual religious gatherings, bringing together devotees from around the globe, kicked off earlier this week Officials have beefed up heat mitigation efforts aiming to avoid a repeat of last year's hajj, which saw 1,301 pilgrims die as temperatures reached 51.8C. "I came here early to (avoid) the sun and later I will pray inside my tent," said 54-year-old Adel Ismail, from Syria. To make this year's pilgrimage safer, authorities have expanded infrastructure, deployed thousands of extra personnel and relied on an arsenal of high-tech tools to help better manage crowds. Authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials, doubling their efforts against heat-related illness following the lethal heatwave of 2024. Shaded areas have been expanded by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands more medics will be on standby, and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, the hajj minister has told AFP. Through tears of joy, Iman Abdel Khaleq said she had wanted to perform the hajj for 10 years and was overwhelmed with emotion as she arrived at Arafat. "It's a big dream for me that I had almost given hope up of realising," the woman in her fifties told AFP from the foot of the mount. Authorities said a majority of the deaths in 2024 were among unregistered pilgrims who lacked access to amenities like air-conditioned tents and buses. This year, they have also cracked down on unregistered pilgrims looking to sneak into Mecca, relying on frequent raids, drone surveillance and a barrage of text alerts. Hajj permits are allocated to countries on a quota basis and distributed to individuals by a lottery. But even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs prompt many to attempt the hajj without a permit, even though they risk arrest and deportation if caught. Saudi Arabia earns billions of dollars a year from the hajj, and the lesser pilgrimage known as umrah, undertaken at other times of the year. bur-ds-aya/dhw Originally published as Muslim pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat in hajj apex
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- The Advertiser
Unprecedented marine heat in the ocean around Australia
Unprecedented heat waves in the Southwest Pacific affected more than 10 per cent of the global ocean surface in 2024, damaging coral reefs and putting the region's last remaining tropical glacier at risk of extinction, the UN's weather body reported. Average 2024 temperatures in the region - which covers Australia and New Zealand as well as southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and the Philippines - were nearly half a degree Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 mean, the World Meteorological Organisation said in an annual report. "Much of the region saw at least severe marine heat wave conditions at some point during the course of 2024, particularly in areas near and south of the equator," said Blair Trewin, one of the report's authors. Extreme heat over the year affected 40 million square kilometres of ocean, and new temperature highs were set in the Philippines and Australia, the report said. Ocean surface temperatures also broke records, while total ocean heat content was the second-highest annual average, behind 2022. An unprecedented number of cyclones, which experts have attributed to climate change, caused havoc in the Philippines in October and November. Sea levels continue to rise more quickly than the global average, an urgent problem in a region where more than half the population live within 500 metres of the coast, the report added. The report also cited satellite data showing that the region's sole tropical glacier, located in Indonesia on the western part of the island of New Guinea, shrank by up to 50 per cent last year. "Unfortunately, if this rate of loss continues, this glacier could be gone by 2026 or shortly thereafter," said Thea Turkington, another of the report's authors. Unprecedented heat waves in the Southwest Pacific affected more than 10 per cent of the global ocean surface in 2024, damaging coral reefs and putting the region's last remaining tropical glacier at risk of extinction, the UN's weather body reported. Average 2024 temperatures in the region - which covers Australia and New Zealand as well as southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and the Philippines - were nearly half a degree Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 mean, the World Meteorological Organisation said in an annual report. "Much of the region saw at least severe marine heat wave conditions at some point during the course of 2024, particularly in areas near and south of the equator," said Blair Trewin, one of the report's authors. Extreme heat over the year affected 40 million square kilometres of ocean, and new temperature highs were set in the Philippines and Australia, the report said. Ocean surface temperatures also broke records, while total ocean heat content was the second-highest annual average, behind 2022. An unprecedented number of cyclones, which experts have attributed to climate change, caused havoc in the Philippines in October and November. Sea levels continue to rise more quickly than the global average, an urgent problem in a region where more than half the population live within 500 metres of the coast, the report added. The report also cited satellite data showing that the region's sole tropical glacier, located in Indonesia on the western part of the island of New Guinea, shrank by up to 50 per cent last year. "Unfortunately, if this rate of loss continues, this glacier could be gone by 2026 or shortly thereafter," said Thea Turkington, another of the report's authors. Unprecedented heat waves in the Southwest Pacific affected more than 10 per cent of the global ocean surface in 2024, damaging coral reefs and putting the region's last remaining tropical glacier at risk of extinction, the UN's weather body reported. Average 2024 temperatures in the region - which covers Australia and New Zealand as well as southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and the Philippines - were nearly half a degree Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 mean, the World Meteorological Organisation said in an annual report. "Much of the region saw at least severe marine heat wave conditions at some point during the course of 2024, particularly in areas near and south of the equator," said Blair Trewin, one of the report's authors. Extreme heat over the year affected 40 million square kilometres of ocean, and new temperature highs were set in the Philippines and Australia, the report said. Ocean surface temperatures also broke records, while total ocean heat content was the second-highest annual average, behind 2022. An unprecedented number of cyclones, which experts have attributed to climate change, caused havoc in the Philippines in October and November. Sea levels continue to rise more quickly than the global average, an urgent problem in a region where more than half the population live within 500 metres of the coast, the report added. The report also cited satellite data showing that the region's sole tropical glacier, located in Indonesia on the western part of the island of New Guinea, shrank by up to 50 per cent last year. "Unfortunately, if this rate of loss continues, this glacier could be gone by 2026 or shortly thereafter," said Thea Turkington, another of the report's authors. Unprecedented heat waves in the Southwest Pacific affected more than 10 per cent of the global ocean surface in 2024, damaging coral reefs and putting the region's last remaining tropical glacier at risk of extinction, the UN's weather body reported. Average 2024 temperatures in the region - which covers Australia and New Zealand as well as southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and the Philippines - were nearly half a degree Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 mean, the World Meteorological Organisation said in an annual report. "Much of the region saw at least severe marine heat wave conditions at some point during the course of 2024, particularly in areas near and south of the equator," said Blair Trewin, one of the report's authors. Extreme heat over the year affected 40 million square kilometres of ocean, and new temperature highs were set in the Philippines and Australia, the report said. Ocean surface temperatures also broke records, while total ocean heat content was the second-highest annual average, behind 2022. An unprecedented number of cyclones, which experts have attributed to climate change, caused havoc in the Philippines in October and November. Sea levels continue to rise more quickly than the global average, an urgent problem in a region where more than half the population live within 500 metres of the coast, the report added. The report also cited satellite data showing that the region's sole tropical glacier, located in Indonesia on the western part of the island of New Guinea, shrank by up to 50 per cent last year. "Unfortunately, if this rate of loss continues, this glacier could be gone by 2026 or shortly thereafter," said Thea Turkington, another of the report's authors.
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- The Advertiser
'Deadly and destructive': Australia's nearest glaciers are about to vanish
Some time in 2026 the final icy remnants of one of the last tropical glaciers in the Asia Pacific will melt away, shrouded in clouds, above West Papua. In a little over two years the total ice area on the Sudirman Range north of Australia - home to the highest island peak in the world - shrank by up to 50 per cent. "If this rate persists, total ice loss is expected in 2026 or very soon thereafter," the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) revealed in its 2024 State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific report. Released on June 5 - World Environment Day - the climate report card confirmed 2024 was the warmest on record for the region, punctuated by record-breaking rain, temperatures and marine heat waves. From Australia's hottest-ever summer temperature recorded at 49.9°C in Western Australia's Carnarvon to 315mm of rainfall over just four days in the Northern Territory, 2024 was a year of extremes. It was also the first year to top the critical 1.5 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels, though an individual year with that temperature rise is not alone enough to declare Earth has passed the threshold. "It's absolutely true that we're already starting to see individual years with global temperatures more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial [levels]; 2024 was likely the first of those," one of the report's lead authors, Dr Blair Trewin, said. "It's clear that we're getting quite close to warming at that 1.5 degree level," he said. "At current warming trends that level will be reached within the next five to 10 years." WMO regional director Ben Churchill said this was because a warmer atmosphere held more moisture. "For every one degree of warming in the atmosphere the atmosphere can hold an extra seven per cent of moisture," he said. "And so we're seeing these extreme situations both in terms of rainfall, but also on the other end of the scale - we're seeing extreme drought." The report identified the southern coast of Australia as particularly hard hit by low rainfall. "Global warming is actually changing the water cycle quite significantly," Mr Churchill said. But unprecedented marine heatwaves were also a feature of 2024, affecting nearly 40 million square kilometres of ocean - the largest area since 1993. Severe hotspots were recorded off Australia's east coast and southern parts of the Tasman Sea. "Averaged over the region as a whole, sea surface temperatures reached record highs in 2024 by a substantial margin," Dr Blair Trewin said. "That has significant implications for marine ecosystems and, in particular, corals which are very sensitive to excess heat were quite significantly stressed by the marine heat waves in various parts of the region." The World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef suffered widespread and severe coral bleaching in 2024. "We have seen some quite significant impacts of marine heatwaves on fisheries in Tasmania, for example," he said. Ocean warming helps sea levels rise and changes ocean currents, storm paths and marine ecosystems. And the sea is rising faster around Australia than in other parts of the world. "Sea level is rising, in general, faster in this region over the last 30 years [than] the global average," Dr Trewin said. "That increase in sea level has been reflected by an increase in the frequency of coastal flooding and inundation." Warming temperatures were also affecting Australia's snow seasons, which were ending earlier than in the past. Spencers Creek near Perisher Valley in NSW reached a peak depth of 1.23 metres in late July 2024 - 35 per cent below average. WMO regional director Ben Churchill said the latest climate snapshot was another wake up call. "We keep talking about things that we've never seen before, and this just continues that trend," he said. "Widespread extreme rainfall and flooding caused deadly and destructive impacts in Australia, New Zealand, and also countries in the Pacific, and also in south-east Asia," Mr Churchill said. "This has been driven by carbon emissions which are continuing unabated, so this is a message for stronger climate action, not just in this region, but globally. "It's an alarming report, but it is really - again - a wake-up call for stronger climate action." The World Meteorological Organisation is the United Nations' agency for weather, climate and water. Got something to say? Leave a comment below or email the journalist on Some time in 2026 the final icy remnants of one of the last tropical glaciers in the Asia Pacific will melt away, shrouded in clouds, above West Papua. In a little over two years the total ice area on the Sudirman Range north of Australia - home to the highest island peak in the world - shrank by up to 50 per cent. "If this rate persists, total ice loss is expected in 2026 or very soon thereafter," the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) revealed in its 2024 State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific report. Released on June 5 - World Environment Day - the climate report card confirmed 2024 was the warmest on record for the region, punctuated by record-breaking rain, temperatures and marine heat waves. From Australia's hottest-ever summer temperature recorded at 49.9°C in Western Australia's Carnarvon to 315mm of rainfall over just four days in the Northern Territory, 2024 was a year of extremes. It was also the first year to top the critical 1.5 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels, though an individual year with that temperature rise is not alone enough to declare Earth has passed the threshold. "It's absolutely true that we're already starting to see individual years with global temperatures more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial [levels]; 2024 was likely the first of those," one of the report's lead authors, Dr Blair Trewin, said. "It's clear that we're getting quite close to warming at that 1.5 degree level," he said. "At current warming trends that level will be reached within the next five to 10 years." WMO regional director Ben Churchill said this was because a warmer atmosphere held more moisture. "For every one degree of warming in the atmosphere the atmosphere can hold an extra seven per cent of moisture," he said. "And so we're seeing these extreme situations both in terms of rainfall, but also on the other end of the scale - we're seeing extreme drought." The report identified the southern coast of Australia as particularly hard hit by low rainfall. "Global warming is actually changing the water cycle quite significantly," Mr Churchill said. But unprecedented marine heatwaves were also a feature of 2024, affecting nearly 40 million square kilometres of ocean - the largest area since 1993. Severe hotspots were recorded off Australia's east coast and southern parts of the Tasman Sea. "Averaged over the region as a whole, sea surface temperatures reached record highs in 2024 by a substantial margin," Dr Blair Trewin said. "That has significant implications for marine ecosystems and, in particular, corals which are very sensitive to excess heat were quite significantly stressed by the marine heat waves in various parts of the region." The World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef suffered widespread and severe coral bleaching in 2024. "We have seen some quite significant impacts of marine heatwaves on fisheries in Tasmania, for example," he said. Ocean warming helps sea levels rise and changes ocean currents, storm paths and marine ecosystems. And the sea is rising faster around Australia than in other parts of the world. "Sea level is rising, in general, faster in this region over the last 30 years [than] the global average," Dr Trewin said. "That increase in sea level has been reflected by an increase in the frequency of coastal flooding and inundation." Warming temperatures were also affecting Australia's snow seasons, which were ending earlier than in the past. Spencers Creek near Perisher Valley in NSW reached a peak depth of 1.23 metres in late July 2024 - 35 per cent below average. WMO regional director Ben Churchill said the latest climate snapshot was another wake up call. "We keep talking about things that we've never seen before, and this just continues that trend," he said. "Widespread extreme rainfall and flooding caused deadly and destructive impacts in Australia, New Zealand, and also countries in the Pacific, and also in south-east Asia," Mr Churchill said. "This has been driven by carbon emissions which are continuing unabated, so this is a message for stronger climate action, not just in this region, but globally. "It's an alarming report, but it is really - again - a wake-up call for stronger climate action." The World Meteorological Organisation is the United Nations' agency for weather, climate and water. Got something to say? Leave a comment below or email the journalist on Some time in 2026 the final icy remnants of one of the last tropical glaciers in the Asia Pacific will melt away, shrouded in clouds, above West Papua. In a little over two years the total ice area on the Sudirman Range north of Australia - home to the highest island peak in the world - shrank by up to 50 per cent. "If this rate persists, total ice loss is expected in 2026 or very soon thereafter," the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) revealed in its 2024 State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific report. Released on June 5 - World Environment Day - the climate report card confirmed 2024 was the warmest on record for the region, punctuated by record-breaking rain, temperatures and marine heat waves. From Australia's hottest-ever summer temperature recorded at 49.9°C in Western Australia's Carnarvon to 315mm of rainfall over just four days in the Northern Territory, 2024 was a year of extremes. It was also the first year to top the critical 1.5 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels, though an individual year with that temperature rise is not alone enough to declare Earth has passed the threshold. "It's absolutely true that we're already starting to see individual years with global temperatures more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial [levels]; 2024 was likely the first of those," one of the report's lead authors, Dr Blair Trewin, said. "It's clear that we're getting quite close to warming at that 1.5 degree level," he said. "At current warming trends that level will be reached within the next five to 10 years." WMO regional director Ben Churchill said this was because a warmer atmosphere held more moisture. "For every one degree of warming in the atmosphere the atmosphere can hold an extra seven per cent of moisture," he said. "And so we're seeing these extreme situations both in terms of rainfall, but also on the other end of the scale - we're seeing extreme drought." The report identified the southern coast of Australia as particularly hard hit by low rainfall. "Global warming is actually changing the water cycle quite significantly," Mr Churchill said. But unprecedented marine heatwaves were also a feature of 2024, affecting nearly 40 million square kilometres of ocean - the largest area since 1993. Severe hotspots were recorded off Australia's east coast and southern parts of the Tasman Sea. "Averaged over the region as a whole, sea surface temperatures reached record highs in 2024 by a substantial margin," Dr Blair Trewin said. "That has significant implications for marine ecosystems and, in particular, corals which are very sensitive to excess heat were quite significantly stressed by the marine heat waves in various parts of the region." The World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef suffered widespread and severe coral bleaching in 2024. "We have seen some quite significant impacts of marine heatwaves on fisheries in Tasmania, for example," he said. Ocean warming helps sea levels rise and changes ocean currents, storm paths and marine ecosystems. And the sea is rising faster around Australia than in other parts of the world. "Sea level is rising, in general, faster in this region over the last 30 years [than] the global average," Dr Trewin said. "That increase in sea level has been reflected by an increase in the frequency of coastal flooding and inundation." Warming temperatures were also affecting Australia's snow seasons, which were ending earlier than in the past. Spencers Creek near Perisher Valley in NSW reached a peak depth of 1.23 metres in late July 2024 - 35 per cent below average. WMO regional director Ben Churchill said the latest climate snapshot was another wake up call. "We keep talking about things that we've never seen before, and this just continues that trend," he said. "Widespread extreme rainfall and flooding caused deadly and destructive impacts in Australia, New Zealand, and also countries in the Pacific, and also in south-east Asia," Mr Churchill said. "This has been driven by carbon emissions which are continuing unabated, so this is a message for stronger climate action, not just in this region, but globally. "It's an alarming report, but it is really - again - a wake-up call for stronger climate action." The World Meteorological Organisation is the United Nations' agency for weather, climate and water. Got something to say? Leave a comment below or email the journalist on Some time in 2026 the final icy remnants of one of the last tropical glaciers in the Asia Pacific will melt away, shrouded in clouds, above West Papua. In a little over two years the total ice area on the Sudirman Range north of Australia - home to the highest island peak in the world - shrank by up to 50 per cent. "If this rate persists, total ice loss is expected in 2026 or very soon thereafter," the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) revealed in its 2024 State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific report. Released on June 5 - World Environment Day - the climate report card confirmed 2024 was the warmest on record for the region, punctuated by record-breaking rain, temperatures and marine heat waves. From Australia's hottest-ever summer temperature recorded at 49.9°C in Western Australia's Carnarvon to 315mm of rainfall over just four days in the Northern Territory, 2024 was a year of extremes. It was also the first year to top the critical 1.5 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels, though an individual year with that temperature rise is not alone enough to declare Earth has passed the threshold. "It's absolutely true that we're already starting to see individual years with global temperatures more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial [levels]; 2024 was likely the first of those," one of the report's lead authors, Dr Blair Trewin, said. "It's clear that we're getting quite close to warming at that 1.5 degree level," he said. "At current warming trends that level will be reached within the next five to 10 years." WMO regional director Ben Churchill said this was because a warmer atmosphere held more moisture. "For every one degree of warming in the atmosphere the atmosphere can hold an extra seven per cent of moisture," he said. "And so we're seeing these extreme situations both in terms of rainfall, but also on the other end of the scale - we're seeing extreme drought." The report identified the southern coast of Australia as particularly hard hit by low rainfall. "Global warming is actually changing the water cycle quite significantly," Mr Churchill said. But unprecedented marine heatwaves were also a feature of 2024, affecting nearly 40 million square kilometres of ocean - the largest area since 1993. Severe hotspots were recorded off Australia's east coast and southern parts of the Tasman Sea. "Averaged over the region as a whole, sea surface temperatures reached record highs in 2024 by a substantial margin," Dr Blair Trewin said. "That has significant implications for marine ecosystems and, in particular, corals which are very sensitive to excess heat were quite significantly stressed by the marine heat waves in various parts of the region." The World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef suffered widespread and severe coral bleaching in 2024. "We have seen some quite significant impacts of marine heatwaves on fisheries in Tasmania, for example," he said. Ocean warming helps sea levels rise and changes ocean currents, storm paths and marine ecosystems. And the sea is rising faster around Australia than in other parts of the world. "Sea level is rising, in general, faster in this region over the last 30 years [than] the global average," Dr Trewin said. "That increase in sea level has been reflected by an increase in the frequency of coastal flooding and inundation." Warming temperatures were also affecting Australia's snow seasons, which were ending earlier than in the past. Spencers Creek near Perisher Valley in NSW reached a peak depth of 1.23 metres in late July 2024 - 35 per cent below average. WMO regional director Ben Churchill said the latest climate snapshot was another wake up call. "We keep talking about things that we've never seen before, and this just continues that trend," he said. "Widespread extreme rainfall and flooding caused deadly and destructive impacts in Australia, New Zealand, and also countries in the Pacific, and also in south-east Asia," Mr Churchill said. "This has been driven by carbon emissions which are continuing unabated, so this is a message for stronger climate action, not just in this region, but globally. "It's an alarming report, but it is really - again - a wake-up call for stronger climate action." The World Meteorological Organisation is the United Nations' agency for weather, climate and water. Got something to say? Leave a comment below or email the journalist on
