Highest temperatures ever recorded in Germany's North Sea – maritime agency
Clean Energy Wire
In 2024, Germany recorded the highest surface temperatures in its North Sea since records began, with temperatures rising by up to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the long-term average, said the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH).
In 2024, water temperatures in the northern half of the sea were closer to the average and in some cases below average. But the water in the southern half was significantly warmer. For the North Sea as a whole, the average water temperature was around 0.5°C above the long-term average, making it the fourth warmest year since records began in 1969.
The Baltic Sea saw its second warmest recorded year. In some regions of the body of water, temperatures exceeded the long-term average by up to 2°C. "This development is a direct consequence of climate change and is increasingly changing the marine environment," said Kerstin Jochumsen, head of the oceanography department at the BSH, in a statement.
A study published in August 2024, found that Wadden Sea, the world's largest unbroken system of intertidal sand and mud flats in the southern North Sea, is changing rapidly due to climate change, affecting fish and other species. It also stated the North Sea has warmed nearly twice as fast over the past 60 years as global oceans.
