Ocean-Surface Warming Accelerates Four Times Faster in Last Four Decades, Study Finds

New Delhi: A groundbreaking study published on Tuesday reveals that the rate of ocean warming has more than quadrupled over the past 40 years, contributing to unprecedentedly high sea temperatures in 2023 and early 2024. The findings, published in Environmental Research Letters, underscore the accelerating impact of climate change on global oceans.

Ocean Warming Rate Four Times Faster Than in the 1980s

The study found that in the late 1980s, ocean temperatures were rising at a rate of 0.06°C per decade. However, the rate of warming has surged to 0.27°C per decade in recent years. Lead author Professor Chris Merchant from the University of Reading, UK, likened this dramatic change to a bathtub with the hot tap running much faster now than in the past.

“If the oceans were a bathtub of water, then in the 1980s, the hot tap was running slowly, warming up the water by just a fraction of a degree each decade. But now the hot tap is running much faster, and the warming has picked up speed,” explained Professor Merchant.

Role of El Niño and Accelerating Heat Absorption

While El Niño, a natural warming event in the Pacific, played a role in the record high ocean temperatures in 2023 and 2024, the study also found that the rate of ocean surface warming in the past 10 years has been faster than in earlier decades. Approximately 44% of the record warmth was attributed to the oceans absorbing heat at an accelerating rate, further increasing the speed of ocean temperature rise.

Implications for Future Ocean Warming

The study suggests that the current rate of global ocean warming is not an accurate representation of what may happen in the future. It is plausible that the rate of ocean temperature increase observed over the past 40 years could be surpassed in just the next 20 years. This accelerated warming is a significant factor in overall global warming, as surface ocean temperatures influence the climate as a whole.

Urgency of Reducing Carbon Emissions

The study stresses the importance of reducing global carbon emissions and moving toward a net-zero future to slow down the rate of ocean warming. Professor Merchant stated that cutting emissions is the only effective way to slow the warming process and prevent further rapid increases in temperature.

Health and Environmental Impacts

Warming ocean temperatures have serious implications for marine life and human health. The rise in temperatures can lead to the spread of diseases among marine species, which could, in turn, affect humans through the consumption of marine species or infections from wounds exposed in marine environments.

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This accelerating trend in ocean surface warming emphasizes the urgent need for global action to reduce fossil fuel consumption and stabilize the climate before the impacts become even more severe.

Key Points:

• Ocean-surface warming has increased four times faster in the past 40 years.
• The current rate of warming is 0.27°C per decade, compared to 0.06°C per decade in the 1980s.
• El Niño and accelerated heat absorption by oceans contribute to record-high sea temperatures.
• The study suggests that ocean temperatures may rise even faster in the next two decades.
• Urgent action is needed to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the effects of global warming.

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