The global physical and biogeochemical environment has changed dramatically in response Increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere Coming from human activities. In 2023, Sea surface temperature (SST) And content Upper ocean temperature (OHC) at an altitude of 2000 metres Record levels. However, new research now shows that this may actually be the case Steadily in the past five years in a gradual manner.
The world's oceans absorbed more heat in 2023 than in any other year Since records began, according to a published article just published in Advances in atmospheric science. The findings are the latest update from an annual study led by Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. Researchers say ocean temperatures have risen at a record rate every year since 2019. A total of 34 scientists from 19 research organizations from five countries.
These data reflect the increasing amount of human-caused greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The oceans store 90% of the excess heat in the Earth system. As long as this level of gases remains relatively high in the atmosphere, the oceans will continue to absorb energy, causing an increase in the heat they contain.
Specialists call this measurement “A particularly strong indicator“The follower.” Global climate changes Because it is much less affected by natural fluctuations in the Earth system than air and sea surface temperatures.
The task force studied two data sets on ocean heat content: one from the IAP and one from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Information from the first shows this Heat stored in the upper ocean at a depth of 2,000 meters will increase by 15 zettajoules in 2023. Compared to what was stored in 2022. This is a huge amount of energy; By comparison, total global energy consumption in 2022 was about 0.6 zettajoules (1 joule is the basic measure of heat, in this case followed by 22 zeros).
The NCEI figure for the increase for 2023 is 9 zettajoules. The discrepancy between both numbers is due to different data calculation and quality control methods used by institutions. But the important point of the article and for scientific understanding is this The oceans are warming steadily, year after year, to new record levels of ocean heat content.
This new study provides strong observational evidence that the oceans were warmest on record in 2023. Consider here: It is extremely alarming that the record high temperature has been broken for five consecutive years.
Even small changes in the oceans can produce far-reaching effects. For example, About 50% of the current rise in sea level is due to ocean expansion as water temperatures rise. The rapid process of rising ocean temperatures can intensify extreme weather events, because they mediate the global climate patterns that determine rainfall, droughts and floods.
This recurring phenomenon can cause Changes in the distribution of marine lifeThis causes some species to move towards polar regions or deeper waters. Warmer oceans can also lead to changes in the timing of biological events, such as migration and reproductive cycles, and affect the body size of marine organisms.
As the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continues to increase, the temperature of the atmosphere and oceans will continue to rise.
* Cheng Lijing He is the first author and corresponding author of the paper, an oceanographer at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. The information in this journal article is derived from research titled “New records for ocean temperature and climate indices in 2023,” published in the journal Advances in atmospheric scienceWritten by: John Abraham, Kevin E. Trenberth, Tim Boyer, Michael E. Man, Jiang Zhou, Fan Wang, Fujiang Yu, Riccardo Lucarnini, John Fasolo, Fei Cheng, Yuanlong Li, Bin Zhang, Liying Wan, Guancheng Li, Qiuping Ren, Lijuan Cao and Yiyang Lu
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