627-year Fijian coral reveals unprecedented Pacific Ocean warming

An international team of climate scientists has used a 627-year coral record from Fiji to uncover significant insights into Pacific Ocean temperatures and climate variability since 1370. The study, published in Science Advances, reveals that while natural warming periods occurred between 1380 and 1553, the Pacific-wide warming observed since 1920, driven by human-induced emissions, marks an unprecedented departure from historical variability. The findings, showing current ocean temperatures as the highest in 653 years, highlight the urgent need to limit global warming to 1.5C to mitigate extreme weather impacts on vulnerable Pacific Island nations and ecosystems. (Phys.org)