{"id":54920,"date":"2025-01-28T10:11:38","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T10:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=54920"},"modified":"2025-01-28T10:11:38","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T10:11:38","slug":"ocean-warming-accelerating-four-times-faster-than-1980s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/ocean-warming-accelerating-four-times-faster-than-1980s\/54920\/","title":{"rendered":"Ocean warming accelerating four times faster than 1980s"},"content":{"rendered":"
As global warming tightens its grip on the planet, the implications for marine ecosystems, weather patterns, and human communities are profound and demand immediate action.<\/p>\n
Professor Chris Merchant, lead author at the University of Reading, explained: \u201cIf the oceans were a bathtub of water, then in the 1980s, the hot tap was running slowly, warming up the water by just a fraction of a degree each decade.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut now the hot tap is running much faster, and the warming has picked up speed. The way to slow down that warming is to start closing off the hot tap by cutting global carbon emissions and moving towards net zero.\u201d<\/p>\n
The study highlights a stark shift in ocean temperature trends. In the late 1980s, ocean temperatures rose by approximately 0.06\u00b0C per decade.<\/p>\n
Fast forward to the present, and that rate has surged to 0.27\u00b0C per decade<\/a>. This dramatic acceleration underscores the escalating energy imbalance within the Earth\u2019s climate system, fuelled by rising greenhouse gas emissions and diminished sunlight reflection back into space.<\/p>\n The record-breaking ocean temperatures observed throughout 2023 and early 2024<\/a> exemplifies this trend.<\/p>\n For 450 consecutive days, global ocean temperatures hit unprecedented highs. While the natural warming cycle of El Ni\u00f1o contributed to some of this heat, nearly half \u2013 44% \u2013 was attributed to the oceans absorbing excess energy at a rapidly increasing rate.<\/p>\n At the heart of this accelerating ocean warming lies a growing energy imbalance in the Earth system. This imbalance arises when more energy from the Sun is absorbed by the Earth than is radiated back into space.<\/p>\n The study shows that this imbalance has roughly doubled since 2010.<\/p>\n Two key factors are driving this phenomenon:<\/p>\n This imbalance is not only heating the oceans but also influencing the overall pace of global climate change.<\/p>\n The accelerating rise in ocean temperatures is more than just a statistic \u2013 it has tangible, far-reaching impacts on the planet:<\/p>\n The study warns that the rate of ocean warming observed over the past four decades may pale in comparison to what lies ahead.<\/p>\n Projections suggest that the temperature increase experienced over the last 40 years could be replicated \u2013 or even exceeded \u2013 in just the next 20 years.<\/p>\n Because the surface oceans regulate global temperatures, their warming has profound implications for the broader climate system. This accelerated pace of change demands urgent action to curb fossil fuel consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ocean warming has quadrupled over the last 40 years, driving record-breaking temperatures and catastrophic impacts. Find out more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":54923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24433],"tags":[689,24549],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Earth\u2019s energy imbalance: The root cause<\/h3>\n
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The consequences of a warming ocean<\/h3>\n
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A faster pace of change ahead<\/h3>\n