Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!
Oceans break records in high temperatures
The sea brings tangible benefits to human beings; From food, work, balance in the environment, even we take advantage of the water of the seas to obtain energy, but, even so, we continue to despise everything that it contributes to us.
The ocean temperature last year was the highest ever, closing the end of a totally negative decade for the environment that contained the 10 hottest years ever recorded, according to new research.
The oceans absorb 90% of the excess heat trapped in the atmosphere by human emissions of greenhouse gases. As a result, the ocean is ruthlessly accurate in tracking progressive climate change.
The new analysis published in the scientific journal Advances in Atmospheric Science. It shows that the last five years are the five warmest years on record in the ocean and that the last 10 years are also the 10 warmest years on record. In the following graph we can test the temperature changes produced in the ocean between 1940 and 2022.
According to The Guardian … The amount of heat added to the oceans is equivalent to each person on the planet using 100 microwaves throughout the day and all night (See how to preserve natural resources with the degrowth theory).
amount of heat added to the oceans is equivalent to each person using 100 microwaves all day and all night
The heat energy absorbed by the oceans raised its temperature to about 0.135 degrees Fahrenheit above the 1981-2010 average in 2022. The heat energy with which human activity has bombarded the oceans in the last 25 years is equivalent to the detonation of 3.6 billion atomic bombs of Hiroshima, said lead author Lijing Cheng in a press release.
Michael Mann who worked on the report, highlighted its results … "We found that 2022 was not only the hottest year on record, it showed the largest single-year increase of the entire decade, a sobering reminder that human-caused warming of our planet continues unabated.".
The warming of the seas it has very negative consequences. The rising ocean temperatures lead to more severe storms and powerful and interrupts the water cycle, which means more flooding in coastal areas, droughts and forest fires, as well as a inexorable rise in sea level.
The marine heat waves - increasingly common and are "like forest fires" - they have decimated the coral reefs worldwide, as well as kelp forests, destroying key ecosystems and habitats (Learn more about marine ecosystems) for countless marine species that also have alarming impacts for humanity.
This energy fuels bigger storms and a climate with more extreme prospects, said Abraham, a researcher on the report … "When the world and the oceans warm, it changes the way the rain falls and evaporates". There is a general rule of thumb that drier areas are going to get drier and wetter areas are going to get wetter, and rain will occur in higher rainfall.
The research leveraged ocean temperature data from all available sources, but the most comprehensive measurements come from a fleet of 3,800 floating instruments called Argo floats scattered across the world's oceans.
In the following map we can see the geolocations arranged around the planet:
The researchers found that ocean temperatures are rising at an accelerating rate, in parallel with the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by human activities (See map of climate change anywhere in the world). The rate of warming from 1987 to 2022 is four and a half times faster than between 1955 and 1986.
The analysis assesses the heat in the upper 2,000 meters of the ocean, as this is where most of the records are collected. It is also where the vast majority of heat accumulates and where most marine life lives.
Scientists predict that by the end of the century the sea level will have risen by around one meter, enough to displace 150 million people worldwide. There is still hope though, because humans can still take action.
We must think of a more sustainable maritime economy that respects the sea and, in these times of globalization, the circular economy or the basic blue economy principles, can be good directions to try to keep the oceans cleaner.
If you liked this article, share it!
