Latest news with #ChrisMerchant
India Today
21-04-2025
- Science
- India Today
Oceans are getting hotter: Temperatures rising 4.5 times faster than expected
Global sea surface temperatures (SST) have been rising 4.5 times faster since 2019 as climate change worsens the situation the period between 1985 and 1989, a warming of 0.06 Celsius per decade was observed, while the temperatures rose by 0.27 Celsius per decade from 2019 to in the journal Environmental Research Letters, the study used global satellite data records generated through the European Space Agency's (ESA) Climate Change Initiative (CCI). This measured the global mean SST from 1980 to It highlights that more greenhouse gas emissions have contributed to an increase in ocean temperatures across the globe.'Greenhouse gases trap heat in our atmosphere,' said Chris Merchant, the lead author of the study. 'Resulting in an imbalance in the energy received by our planet from the Sun, and the energy radiated back out to space, resulting in an excess energy imbalance.''This energy imbalance drives climate change. Given the accelerations in ocean warming and evolving climate dynamics, we need ongoing monitoring and data improvements to ensure our climate models can accurately reflect future temperature increases.'Even though certain weather phenomena, such as El Nio and volcanic eruptions, influence the warming of the Earth, they do not contribute significantly to long-term warming Embury, co-author and scientific leader of the ESA-CCI sea-surface temperature project, which contributed to the long-term dataset, said, 'Our study identifies the increasing accumulation of planetary energy as the dominant driver of long-term sea surface warming, while short-term variations from El Nio, volcanic activity and solar changes add variability but do not alter the overall accelerating trend.'advertisementMonitoring The Energy Cycle for a better UnderStanding Of cliMate chAnge (MOTECUSOMA), a study conducted by ESA to investigate the energy imbalance on Earth and its impact on climate change, will benefit from this added, 'Addressing these challenges requires accurate climate projections – increasing ocean heat uptake intensifies extreme weather events, disrupts ecosystems, and accelerates sea level rise, making continued observation and model refinement essential.'This study adds to the ongoing research, highlighting the adverse effects of climate change and its far-reaching impact on ecosystems, human lives, and the Watch
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Ocean Temperatures Are Rising Much Faster Than Scientists Expected.
Another scientific study is raising alarms about the rate at which the world's oceans are warming. According to scientists at the University of Reading, the global mean sea surface temperature (GMSST) is rising 400 percent faster than it was in the late 1980s. The scientists also estimate that the warming witnessed within the past 40 years will be eclipsed in less than 20 years without mitigation of greenhouse emissions. Ah, the 1980s—a time of New Coke, teased hair, and an ocean that warmed at a respectable rate. Fast forward forty years, and classic Coke is back, teased hair is mostly a 'bed head' side effect, and worst of all, the ocean is warming at an unseemly pace—at least, that's according to a new study from scientists at the University of Reading. It isn't exactly a surprise that the ocean is getting warmer, but the rate at which it's doing so—roughly 400 percent faster than the rate of the 1980s—is alarming. Looking at satellite observations captured from 1985 to modern day, coupled with statistical models incorporating climate variability, scientists found that the ocean was warming at a rate of roughly 0.06 degrees Celsius per decade in the late 80s. Now, it has now jumped up to 0.27 degrees Celsius per decade. The results of the study were published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. '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,' University of Reading's Chris Merchant, lead author of the study, said in a press statement. 'But now the hot tap is running much faster, and the warming has picked up speed. The way to slow down that warming is to start closing off the hot tap, by cutting global carbon emissions and moving towards net-zero.' Of course, the overall warming of the ocean—a figure known as the global mean sea surface temperature (GMSST)—is a result of the growth of 'Earth's energy imbalance,' or EEI, in the words of the authors. As concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases rise, more energy from the Sun is being absorbed than is escaping back into space—and that means warmer oceans. By extrapolating future scenarios based on this data, the researchers also note that this growth isn't linear, and that the increase gained over the last 40 years will likely be surpassed in less than 20 years if climate emissions are not mitigated. For evidence of this, look no further than recent history—in 2023 to 2024, the ocean hit record high temperatures for 450 days straight. Although this heat flux was caused in part by the El Niño—a climate pattern that typically brings warmer conditions to the Pacific—scientists compared this recent El Niño to the one that occurred back in 2015-2016 and discerned that 44 percent of the record warmth came from steadily increasing ocean water temperatures. Because of this steadily increasing rate of warmth, looking to past decades as a predictor for future climate behavior likely isn't reliable, and this new data suggests that limiting emissions is more important than ever. 'Policy makers and wider society should be aware that the rate of global warming over recent decades is a poor guide to the faster change that is likely over the decades to come, underscoring the urgency of deep reductions in fossil-fuel burning,' the authors wrote. There's no going back to the '80s—no one liked New Coke anyway—but there still are solutions for safeguarding a healthy planet for future generations. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Ocean Warming Has Quadrupled Since 1980s, Study Shows
Global warming, rising ocean temperatures, climate change, natural disasters…these are all things we hear about on a daily basis, inciting fears of the imminent environmental apocalypse. But when it comes down it, aside from the natural disasters, how often are you experiencing climate change and global warming on a firsthand, regular basis? Probably not that much. At least, it's not a noticeable change, as such alterations on a grand scale take time to manifest. Thankfully, we have scientists to monitor such events. And according to a new study, published on Environmental Research Letters, researchers discovered a grim reality – the ocean surface, a strong indicator of temperatures globally, has been rising in temperature at unprecedented Chris Merchant, lead author at the University of Reading, said (via "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. The way to slow down that warming is to start closing off the hot tap, by cutting global carbon emissions and moving towards net-zero." So, how much faster is the ocean warming? In the 1980s, data showed a 0.06 degrees Celsius per decade rise; today, the data shows the temperatures are rising 0.27 degrees Celsius per decade. The study accounted for the recent El Niño season of 2023 and 2024, which is a natural ocean warming event in the Pacific, and also contributed to 450 days straight of record-breaking global ocean temperatures. But still, when compared to past El Niños, the oceans warmed at a faster pace. And don't expect this to slow down. According to analysis of the study via 'It is plausible that the ocean temperature increase seen over the past 40 years will be exceeded in just the next 20 years.' Will that be enough to notice a change? TBD.
