Theme of the month ~ 12 2025
Made you look
The numbers and innovations in 2025 made the ocean's health and beauty difficult to ignore. What once felt like a distant problem became a pressing issue
See 7 numbers that shaped the ocean's health and our understanding of it in 2025. Plus 1 number that is still a mystery
1
1.08°C
the ocean's temperature
The ocean is absorbing more heat than at any point in recorded history
2
84%
of coral reefs are now living under heat stress
This is a bigger number than was known and has accelerated new approaches to monitoring, restoration and assisted resilience
3
1 in 3
marine fish stocks are being pushed beyond sustainable limits
Coastal communities, food systems and science are impacted when fishing is no longer an option that sustains livelihoods
4
75-199
million tons of plastic pollute the ocean
The true scale of plastic pollution in the ocean is getting revealed through advanced sensing, modeling and machine learning
5
~8%
of the ocean is protected
The vast majority of the ocean is unprotected from illegal fishing, commercial overfishing and habitat destruction
6
60
number of countries that ratified the High Seas Treaty
This is the minimum number of countries needed to enforce the treaty. Now, vast areas of the ocean beyond national borders have a shared legal framework
7
866
new marine species identified in 2025
Revealing that much of the ocean is still unknown
+1 mystery number
?
the oxigenation level in the ocean before damage is irreversible
Warmer water holds less oxygen. As the ocean heats up, oxygen levels drop reshaping ecosystems in ways we’re only beginning to understand. Scientists know there is a threshold below which ocean systems start to fail. What that number is exactly, we don’t know yet
And a new call
Scientists discovered a new seal vocalizations. What does they mean?
Scientists recently recorded previously undocumented seal vocalizations beneath Antarctic sea ice. The sounds were captured using underwater listening devices in places that are difficult for people to reach. Their meaning is still unknown
