A recent study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters reveals that the rate of ocean warming has accelerated fourfold over the past four decades. According to the research, ocean temperatures increased by 0.27 degrees Celsius per decade between 2019 and 2023, a sharp rise from the 0.06 degrees Celsius per decade recorded in the late 1980s. Lead author Chris Merchant from the University of Reading, UK, likened the phenomenon to a bathtub filling with warm water: “In the 1980s, the hot tap was running slowly, warming the water only slightly each decade. Now, it’s speeding up significantly.”
Merchant emphasizes that reducing global carbon emissions is crucial to slowing this warming trend. The authors link the accelerated ocean warming to an increasing imbalance in Earth’s energy, wherein more solar energy is absorbed than escapes into space. Since 2010, this energy imbalance has nearly doubled, fueled by rising greenhouse gas levels and a decrease in Earth’s sunlight reflection.
The study also connects nearly 44 percent of the extreme heat recorded in 2023 and early 2024 to this rapid ocean warming. Global ocean temperatures have hit unprecedented levels for 450 consecutive days during this period. While the El Niño event— a natural warming in the Pacific— contributed to the temperature spikes, much of the lingering heat is because sea surface temperatures have increased at a faster rate over the past decade than in previous ones.
The researchers caution that if current trends continue, the ocean temperature rise observed over the past 40 years could be exceeded in just the next 20 years, underscoring the urgent need to curb fossil fuel use to stabilize the climate.
Original Source: https://m.economictimes.com/news/science/oceans-warming-four-times-faster-than-in-1980s-study-finds/articleshow/117685713.cms
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Publish Date: 2025-01-29 16:48:00
