The annual average temperature was 0.3°C above the reference period of 1991-2020, which equates to approximately 1.2°C higher than the period 1850-1900.
An expected shift to the El Niño pattern would likely make this year even warmer.
The observed warming trends persisted in 2022 despite three consecutive years of La Niña, a climate pattern marked by cooler-than-normal sea surface temperatures near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, which tends to suppress warming across the world.
And ocean heat content set another record for the fourth year in a row.
[T]he oceans are growing more stratified, meaning warm and cold water masses aren't mixing as easily and are instead getting stuck on top of one another, like layers in a cake. Stratification can make it harder for heat, oxygen and vital nutrients to be transported throughout the water column. That can damage marine ecosystems and trap heat near the surface of the water, where it can then proceed to further warm the atmosphere.
