In March, the world's oceans reached near-record heat levels, according to the European Copernicus observatory. This trend, combined with human-induced climate change, signals the likely return of the El Niño weather phenomenon. Climatologists fear that this could lead to new extreme heatwaves, as ocean temperatures continue to rise. The warming of the oceans contributes to sea-level rise, marine heatwaves that damage coral reefs, and more intense extreme weather events. Additionally, the Arctic sea ice reached its lowest winter extent on record, further highlighting the ongoing pressure on the global climate system.