Our oceans broke heat records in 2018 and the consequences are catastrophic

Authored by theguardian.com and submitted by idarknight
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Last year was the hottest ever measured, continuing an upward trend that is a direct result of manmade greenhouse gas emissions.

The key to the measurements is the oceans. Oceans absorb more than 90% of the heat that results from greenhouse gases, so if you want to measure global warming you really have to measure ocean warming.

There are other ways to measure climate change, but none are as convincing as the oceans. Air temperatures are most commonly reported in the media as evidence of global warming, but the problem with these is they are very erratic. While there is certainly a long-term trend of higher air temperatures, any given year may be warmer or colder than the last.

Global warming of oceans equivalent to an atomic bomb per second Read more

So oceans are key, and they are telling us a clear story. The last five years were the five hottest on record. The numbers are huge: in 2018 the extra ocean heat compared to a 1981-2010 baseline amounted to 196,700,000,000,000,000,000,000 joules. The current rate of ocean warming is equivalent to five Hiroshima-size atomic bombs exploding every second.

The measurements have been published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences in an article by Lijing Cheng, the lead author, and his colleagues from the Institute for Atmospheric Physics in China. His collaborators, of which I am one, included researchers from around the world. The article charts ocean heat back to the late 1950s, showing a steady increase.

Ocean warming is incontrovertible proof of global warming, and there are real consequences to a warming ocean. Firstly, warmer water expands, and this expansion causes sea levels to rise. Approximately a third of the rise in ocean waters is a result of the heat absorbed by the oceans. Scientists expect about one metre of sea level rise by the end of the century, which would be enough to displace 150 million people worldwide.

The warming waters also make storms more powerful. In the US recently, we have seen hurricanes pass over extremely warm ocean waters, which has supercharged them and increased the damage they cause. Other kinds of storms are also being made stronger. Heavier downpours of rainfall are increasing flooding around the world. Simply put, our emissions of greenhouse gases have caused loss of life and property. We are all responsible, but the people who have denied the science and the solutions own a special responsibility that history will judge harshly.

Immediate fossil fuel phaseout could arrest climate change – study Read more

It isn’t just humans that are suffering and will suffer more in the future. The heating of oceans is causing tremendous problems for sea life, particularly coral reefs. If we continue to warm the planet, we can expect to lose much of these reefs. We can also anticipate reductions in fish and sea life populations.

We scientists sound like a broken record. Every year we present the science and plead for action. Not nearly enough is being done. We can still tackle climate change, but we must act immediately. We have the means to make a difference, we lack only the will.

Paulthekid10-4 on March 17th, 2019 at 01:32 UTC »

Cruise ships pollute the worst and should be held responsible for the damage they do to the eco system they depend on. " full power, each burn 1,377 US gallons of fuel an hour, or about 66,000 gallons a day of some of the most polluting diesel fuel in the world.".

Macrocarpa82 on March 17th, 2019 at 01:02 UTC »

This article is good but it didn’t mention how warming oceans will lead to a collapse of the thermohaline current. The most important current on Earth.

The latest research shows that since the late 80s it has reduced in strength by up to 20 to 30%. I haven’t found any information on exactly what reduction % will result in its collapse but it is the primary source of oxygenating ocean water globally.

If it collapses or even reduces too a significant weakness then oxygen levels in global ocean waters will be so low that most fish life and food sources from the ocean will die.

50% of the globes human population depends on the oceans for food and protein as the majority source of their daily nutrition.

BEN_therocketman on March 17th, 2019 at 00:16 UTC »

I do what I can individual-wise to live low impact, but I feel like most of this is almost a foregone conclusion since it is just plain more expensive to live this way and many people wont be able to do it. And the corporations that hurt the planet the most have no reason to stop. What can we do to stop this on a more macro scale? Don't tell me to call my senator, I live in Utah...