Science-Policy Interface

Marine pollution — microlitter

Coverage

2014-06-04 → 2023-09-15

Records

22.289

Institution

EMODnet Chemistry; Tallinn University of Technology and the original CDI producers

Acidification — surface water fCO₂

Coverage

2024-01-01 → 2026-01-01

Records

55.745

Institution

SOCAT investigators; NOAA PMEL ERDDAP

The target is defined in pH; this series measures fCO₂. fCO₂ drives acidification but is not pH itself. It should be read together with the pH card below.

Seawater pH — ALOHA station

Coverage

1988-10-31 → 2024-12-20

Records

346

Institution

School of Ocean & Earth Science & Technology (SOEST), Hawaii Ocean Time-series; processed by Our World in Data

A single station’s measurement, not a global mean. pH is logarithmic: a drop of 0.1 unit means roughly a 26% rise in hydrogen ion concentration.

Fisheries — reported catch

Coverage

1950 → 2021

Records

5.984

Institution

EMODnet Human Activities; originally compiled from Eurostat/FAO returns

Reported catch volume; not a stock-status or overfishing indicator.

Protected marine areas

Coverage

2000 → 2025

Records

5.486

Institution

United Nations Statistics Division

Protected share of territorial waters

Coverage

2013 → 2025

Records

2.236

Institution

UNEP-WCMC and IUCN — Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM; compiled by the World Bank; processed by Our World in Data

Measures designated extent, not the effectiveness of protection.

Share of sustainable stocks

Coverage

1974 → 2021

Records

168

Institution

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); processed by Our World in Data

Covers only assessed stocks; unassessed stocks do not enter the denominator.

Dissolved oxygen — GLODAP

Coverage

2015-03-23 → 2016-04-09

Records

701

Institution

GLODAP investigators; official GLODAP/GEOMAR regional mirror

States party to UNCLOS

Coverage

1971 → 2015

Records

585

Institution

UNCTAD; compilation by Our World in Data

Being a party does not guarantee implementation. The record ends in 2015; for the current count consult the convention secretariat.

Legal status of the net-zero target

Coverage

2026 → 2026

Records

196

Institution

Net Zero Tracker; processed by Our World in Data

Ordinal scale (0–5): 0 no target, 4 in law, 5 achieved. Its arithmetic mean is meaningless; it is a single-year snapshot.

Sea surface temperature

Coverage

1979-01-01 → 2026-08-28

Records

17.407

Institution

Copernicus Climate Change Service / ECMWF

ERA5 is a reanalysis product, not an in-situ buoy measurement.

Sea level — tide gauge

Coverage

2026-08-25 → 2026-09-01

Records

24.087

Institution

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO/IOC) and Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ); stations operated by national agencies