A new study published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences has found that ocean warming in 2024 has led to new record high temperatures.
A new study published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences has found that ocean warming in 2024 has led to new record high temperatures. The ocean is the hottest it has ever been recorded by humans, not only at the surface temperature but also for the upper 2000 meters.
“The broken records in the ocean have become a broken record.” Said Prof. CHENG Lijing with the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He led a team of 54 scientists from 7 countries and discussed how a hotter ocean affects our lives on land and what this means for our future.
The ocean is a critical part of the Earth’s climate – most of the excess heat from global warming is stored in the ocean (90%) and the ocean covers 70% of the Earth's surface. Because of this, the ocean dictates our weather patterns by transferring heat and moisture into the atmosphere. The ocean also controls how fast climate change happens.
Read More: Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Science
The ocean surrounding the Antarctic continent is experiencing one of the fastest warming rates. (Photo Credit: Chao Ban)
