Ed Blockley News Today

The amount of sea ice around Antarctica is at a record low for the end of June, the Met Office has said.

The record low ice cover for this time of year provides further evidence about the effects of climate change

There is still time for the ice to recover before the typical yearly peak in September, but it could also become the lowest year on record.

Scientists fear the levels may not improve with the Met Office warning it is significantly below the previous record, by 1.3 million sq km (501,930 sq miles) - an area more than five times that of the UK.

Sea surface temperatures off the northeast coast of England and to the west of Ireland were 3 to 4C above normal, a Met Office analysis has found.

Sustained high temperatures over summer could trigger mass mortality of fish and oysters, say scientists

The global sea surface temperatures for both April and May were the highest on record for those calendar months in a series stretching back to 1850. That is according to the HadSST.4.0.1.0 datase

Sea surface temperatures off the northeast coast of England and to the west of Ireland were 3 to 4C above normal, a Met Office analysis has found.

Scientists have warned that an extreme marine heat wave off the UK and Ireland coasts is posing a major threat to marine species.

Long-term warming of the oceans from climate change has coupled with short-term natural variation to create a record-breaking year.