The world’s oceans, which have absorbed most of the heat caused by human-caused carbon pollution, continued to experience record temperatures last year, according to research published Wednesday.
Climate change is increasing surface temperatures across the planet, causing instability in the atmosphere and intensifying extreme weather events such as hurricanes.
The oceans absorb about 90 percent of excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions, protecting land surfaces but generating large, long-lasting ocean heat waves that have had the effect of destroying underwater life.
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The study, by researchers in China, the US, Italy and New Zealand, said 2022 was “the hottest year on record for the world’s oceans”.
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The heat content of the ocean exceeded the previous year’s level by about 10 Zetta joules – equivalent to 100 times the world’s electricity generation in 2021, according to the authors.
“The ocean absorbs most of the warming from human carbon emissions,” said co-author Michael Mann, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
“Until we reach net zero emissions, the warming will continue, and we will continue to break the record sea heat content, we did this year,” he said. “Better awareness and understanding of the ocean is fundamental to action to combat climate change.”
Records going back to the late 1950s show a steady rise in ocean temperatures with a steady increase since 1985.
– ‘A nightmare for sea life’ –
Scientists have warned that rising temperatures have caused major changes in ocean stability faster than previously thought.
The study, published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, is based on observations from 24 scientists at 16 institutions around the world.
It also found other indications that the health of the ocean is deteriorating.
Increasing water temperature and sea salinity – also at an all-time high – directly contribute to the process of “stratification”, where water separates into layers that no longer mix.
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This has far-reaching implications as it causes the exchange of heat, oxygen and carbon between the ocean and the atmosphere, with effects including the loss of oxygen in the oceans.
“Deoxygenation itself is a nightmare for not only marine life and ecosystems but also for humans and our terrestrial ecosystems,” the researchers said in a statement.
Data updated this week show that the average global atmospheric temperature in 2022 will be the fifth warmest year since records began in the 19th century, according to Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Countries around the world are facing unprecedented natural disasters, which can lead to climate change.
Many of these impacts can be attributed to warming oceans and associated changes in the hydrological cycle.
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“Some places are experiencing more drought, which increases the risk of wildfires, and other places are experiencing severe flooding from heavy rains, often fueled by evaporation from warm oceans,” said co-author Kevin Trenberth, of the US National Center for Climate Change. for Atmospheric Research and the University of Auckland.
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