A multinational team of scientists (China, USA, New Zealand, Italy and France) analyzes the Earth’s temperature every year. These scientists found a fever that’s growing every year: Over the last decade, each year in the oceans has been warmer than the last, and there are other changes in the ocean that are also significant.

The ocean is an important part of the Earth’s climate system; It covers 70% of the planet and absorbs approximately 90% of the heat from global warming. The ocean helps control the atmosphere; A warmer ocean leads to a warmer, wetter atmosphere with harsher weather. The ocean also controls the rate of climate change on Earth. To understand what has happened or will happen to the planet, the answers may be found in the ocean.

The data were obtained from two research groups: the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA). The world’s oceans have warmed by 15 zettajoules by 2022, according to temperature measurements analyzed by IAP. Heating was about 9 zettajoules less, according to NOAA. Both groups reported another year of warming, but the magnitudes were different, as noted below. Final results were published on January 11, 2024. Advances in Atmospheric Science.

What is Zettajoule? Each year, the entire world consumes approximately half a zettajoule of energy to power our economy. A zettajoule is a very large amount of energy. Another way to think of this is that 15 zettajoules is enough energy to boil 2.3 billion Olympic-sized swimming pools (50 m long, 25 m wide and 2 m deep).

Why are the values ​​different? Scientists are working hard to solve this problem, and early data shows how each group processes the data. The major differences come from “quality control” and how individual values ​​are displayed on the global grid. Especially under climate warming conditions, new measurements of high ocean temperatures may be erroneously rejected.

The study’s lead author, Dr. “This means that warming could be greater than the numbers given here,” says Lijing Chen.

The graphs show ocean warming since the late 1950s, based on the two data sets used in the study. Both indicate continued warming. When charting long-term trends, scientists choose what is called a baseline against which other values ​​will be compared. The reference point in the graphs is the average ocean temperature between 1981 and 2010. The bands in blue are cooler than the 1981-2010 average, and the red bands are warmer than the baseline.

The top chart shows IAP data, while the bottom images show NOAA analysis. The two most important messages from the charts are that there is a long-term warming of the oceans due to global warming, and that although the data for a given year differ, the two groups (IAP and NOAA) agree on the long-term trends. difference.

The temperature of the ocean surface is off the charts. This emissions record is due to both long-term global warming and short-term fluctuations in the temperature of water in the Pacific Ocean (El Niño). Now both contribute to the warming of the water at the ocean surface. A strong El Niño in the tropical Pacific has caused global warming and climate change to increase ocean surface temperatures since May 2023. This changes weather patterns around the world. Therefore, the relatively small natural annual variability of OHC relative to the warming trend makes OHC a very good indicator of climate change.

Precipitation and evaporation patterns also change, which changes the salinity (salinity) of the ocean. Salty areas become saltier, clean areas become fresher; This negatively affects marine life and ocean currents.

Less dense, warm, fresh water near the surface tends to remain near the surface and is unable to transport heat and carbon dioxide to deeper layers. Scientists call this type of water “stratified.” Recently released data show that stratification continues to grow. This reduces the ocean’s oxygen content and ability to absorb carbon dioxide; This has serious consequences for ocean plants and animals.

The warming of the ocean also causes the weather to worsen. Extra heat and moisture entering the atmosphere causes storms to become stronger, with heavier rain, stronger winds and more flooding. There is massive damage worldwide (approximately $200 billion each year in the US alone), as well as serious disruptions and loss of life.

These results underscore the need to immediately stop burning fossil fuels and adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by decarbonizing the economy and switching to cheaper, cleaner and renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydropower.