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Image of the week: Sea surface temperature 2024

 

Watching our Earth from space

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This week’s image shows sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean in 2024, as monitored by satellites such as the Copernicus Sentinel-3 series operated by EUMETSAT.

Last Updated

12 September 2025

Published on

12 September 2025

Sea surface temperature is one of the Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) defined by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) to monitor and characterise the state of the global climate system.

Sea surface temperatures have increased globally on average by 0.5 (± 0.04) °C since 1982, a trend that is expected to continue. Shallower and (semi-) enclosed seas have warmed more than the global average.

The ocean plays a key role in regulating climate as it absorbs most of human-generated heat and slows down the warming of Earth’s surface.

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Sea surface temperature image

The image is taken from a visualisation that shows a year of sea surface temperature around the world in 2024.

The visualisation captures the pulse of the oceans.  Watch how sea surface temperature shifted across the globe in 2024 - from swirling currents to marine heatwaves and the powerful Gulf Stream.

More info

Find out how EUMETSAT monitors the oceans from space - https://www.eumetsat.int/what-we-monitor/ocean

Access marine data from EUMETSAT: https://user.eumetsat.int/data/themes/marine

More about sea surface temperature monitoring - GHRSST

Access Copernicus marine data: https://marine.copernicus.eu/

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