So fast, in fact that scientists studying the phenomenon are making new scales to adapt. As the Guardian reported last week , ” NOAA (the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ) literally has to remake its graphs. “
The article gives more details :
Well, it turns out that the energy stored within the ocean (which is 90% or more of the total “global warming” heat), increased significantly. A plot from NOAA is shown above. You can see that the last data point (the red curve), is, literally off the chart.
The folks at NOAA do a great job updating this graph every three months or so. We can now say that the 2014 Earth had more heat (thermal energy) than any year ever recorded by humans. We can also say that the folks at NOAA will likely have to rescale their graph to capture the new numbers.
(…) If people want to read a review of ocean heating that is written for a general audience, I suggest our recent peer-reviewed paper which can be found here.
Oceans cover three quarters of our beautiful Planet, and as such, are an important part of our global ecosystem. It’s past time we fight climate change – as well as overfishing, plastic waste, acidification… – if we want them to remain full of life.
Image credits : Flickr.
warming sounds so comforting on a day when i nearly froze one thumb as i fed the animals and attended chores in -5 weather..however, one digit exposure scarcely ranks as important in the scope of oceanic troubles. it no longer is the price of tuna, or the state of mackerel schools..what the Ocean stores, is what’s in store for the rest of the planet..all that heat will be released upon the atmosphere and when we all melt down, the big waters will rain and swell from shore to shore in angry waves and storms, welcome to our mad world!
Yes, mad world because of mad humans. But I believe we still can make a difference.
if we tackle our reckless energy efficiency we could become carbon neutral by mid-century or around this time.
Don’t forget your gloves when going outdoors Nadine : becoming a finger amputee wouldn’t help you write and type any better. Take care !