Carbon pollution has fuelled ‘massive expansion’ of marine heatwaves in Europe, study finds

Hottest periods this year in most sea regions would have been ‘virtually impossible’ in a preindustrial climate

Carbon pollution has fuelled a “massive expansion” of marine heatwaves in Europe this summer, research has found, with some waters recording temperatures 6C higher than normal.

The hottest fortnights of this year would have been “virtually impossible” in a preindustrial climate in three of the four sea regions studied, according to analysis by World Weather Attribution, while in the Celtic region, which covers much of the water around the British Isles, heat hit levels that used to strike just once a century.