The world's ocean just broke another heat record
by Daria Blackwell 16 Jan 2022 04:46 UTC
Storm at sea mid-Atlantic © Daria Blackwell
An analysis of recent Ocean Heat Content (OHC) changes through 2021 by two international groups shows the ocean was the hottest ever recorded by humans.
The year-to-year variation of OHC is primarily tied to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), but 2021 was a La Niña year. Four of the seven maritime domains -- Indian, Tropical Atlantic, North Atlantic, Northwest Pacific, North Pacific, Southern Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea -- showed record-high heat content in 2021. The long-term ocean warming is stronger in the Atlantic and the Southern oceans than in other regions and, via climate model simulations, is mainly attributed to an increase in greenhouse gas concentrations attributable to human activity.
The study, published in January 2022 in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, shows that oceans were heated by about 14 zettajoules. One of the scientists, John Abraham, in a commentary in the Guardian, noted that this represents the staggering heat equivalent to seven Hiroshima atomic bombs detonating each second, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The oceans absorb more than 90% of the heat associated with global warming. Therefore, the study of the oceans reflects how rapidly the earth is warming. Thousands of measurements, taken at least 2,000 meters (about 6,500ft) deep from buoys deployed around the world and analysed by 23 scientists, paint a clear picture: the Earth is warming, humans are the culprit, and the warming will continue indefinitely until we take collective action.
One of the buoys sending in data was launched from s/v Danu mid-Atlantic by OCC members Peter Owens and Vera Quinlan and their children, Ruairí and Lilian. Vera, being an employee of the Marine Institute of Ireland, offered to deploy an Argo float as she and her family crossed the Atlantic from the Cape Verdes to the Caribbean while on sabbatical in 2019. Whereas the Argo floats are usually deployed by research vessels in northern Atlantic waters, Danu's crossing provided the opportunity to deploy this sophisticated ocean monitoring device much further south.
These findings have tremendous implications for the biodiversity of the planet. Warming oceans threaten sea life, disrupt ecosystems and damage food chains that originate in the sea. Warmer ocean waters increase the severity of storms -- winds blow stronger and rain falls harder. Expansion of the water as it heats contributes to sea level rise, as does melting ice, resulting in more extreme storm surges and coastal flooding.
OCC members, being among the more adventurous and environmentally aware souls, are contributing to the science of ocean monitoring and more. But with climate change disrupting the known trade route weather patterns, cruising as a lifestyle may become increasingly challenging as warming continues. It is in all of our best interests to do our part in halting, and indeed reversing, anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases.
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This article has been provided by the courtesy of Ocean Cruising Club.