A recent study shows us the consequences of the increase in temperature in the oceans: 2017 was not a good year for the seas, which are “hotter” than ever.
According to an article recently published by researchers at the International Center for Climate and Environment Sciences in the specialized journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, 2017 was one of the hottest years ever recorded.
By comparison, China’s total electricity generation in 2016 was 699 times smaller than the ocean heat rise in 2017.
The long-term warming trend driven by human activities continued unabated. High ocean temperatures in recent years have come as levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have also risen, reaching record levels in 2017.
accumulating heat
The ocean accumulates the warming derived from human activities; in fact, more than 90% of the Earth’s waste heat related to global warming is absorbed by the ocean.
As such, the global record of ocean heat content strongly represents the signature of global warming and is less affected by weather-related noise and climate variability such as El Niño and La Niña events.
- For scientists, measurements of ocean warming are a more reliable indicator than atmospheric measurements for tracking vital signs of the planet’s health.
other consequences
The study raises other consequences of increased heat in the oceans:
Increases in ocean temperature cause ocean volume expansion, which contributes to global mean sea level rise.
Increased ocean heat in 2017 resulted in a global sea level rise of 1.7mm. Other consequences include decreased oxygen from the ocean, bleaching of coral reefs, and melting of sea ice and ice shelves.
The human footprint of greenhouse gases continues to affect the Earth system, and we are counting down to stop it.