The world’s oceans were warmer in 2024 than at any time since measurements began, a study published on Friday has found, reported the German news agency dpa.

The record applies to both surface temperatures and the heat stored at a depth of 2,000m, according to researchers led by Lijing Cheng of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The oceans play a very important role in the Earth’s climate, absorbing around 90 percent of the heat generated by rising...