The ocean is the hottest it's ever been, and
no, this is not normal.
A new report released in the journal
Advances in Atmospheric Sciences on Jan.
15 reveals that ocean temperatures in 2018
reached their highest point since accurate
measurements first began in the 1950s.
The heat increase in the world's oceans
from 2017 (the previous record holder) to
2018 is equivalent to about 388 times the
total electricity generation of China in 2017,
according to a statement about the research
released by the Institute of Atmospheric
Physics in China.
Ocean temperatures down to 2,000 meters
(6,600 feet) were calculated using data from
various measurement devices. Those
includes Argo, a set of free-floating devices
that measure temperature and salt
concentration in the waters.
After 2018 and 2017, the third warmest year
for ocean temperatures was 2015, followed
by 2016 and finally 2014. And, not
surprisingly, this is all our fault. [ 8 Ways
Global Warming Is Already Changing the
World]
The change in ocean temperatures is a good
way to gauge the effect that human activity
is having on our planet, because the vast
majority of heat trapped by greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere gets absorbed by
the oceans, the paper said.
Warming oceans can have far-reaching
effects. As water warms, temperature and
moisture levels in the air also rise, which
can lead to increased intensity and duration
of storms and heavy rains, according to the
paper.
Increased ocean temperatures can also
accelerate the melting of sea ice, leading to
sea level rise and increased coastal flooding.
In the water, higher temperatures can reduce
oxygen levels, leading to so-called dead
zones, where plants and animals can't
survive. And if the surface of the ocean
warms by 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees
Fahrenheit) this century, 99 percent of the
world's coral reefs will be bleached, leaving
them more vulnerable to disease, the paper
said.
The new data, together with a rich body of
literature, serve as an additional warning to
both the government and the general public
that we are experiencing inevitable global
warming," study lead author Lijing Cheng, an
associate professor at the Institute of
Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese
Academy of Sciences, said in the statement.
The warming is already causing damage and
losses to economy and society, he added.
Just last week, another study, this one
published in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences by a different group,
modeled ocean temperatures further back in
time. That study found that ocean
temperatures have warmed by 426 x 10^21
since 1871. According to The Guardian , this
is about 1,000 times the annual energy use
of the entire globe.
