New research confirms that global oceans are warming rapidly

The most important measurement of global warming is found in the oceans.

In order to get the most accurate picture of ocean warming, scientists need to have as many sensors as possible spread across the oceans that take temperatures from the surface to the deep depths. We also need decades of measurements in order to establish an accurate trend.

Most recent graph of global ocean heat content at different depths. Image courtesy NOAA.
<img src="https://vortex.accuweather.com/adc2004/pub/includes/columns/climatewx/2017/590x385_06281617_screen-shot-2017-06-28-at-12.17.14-pm.png"/>

This study, which was recently published in the journal Climate Dynamics, looked at three different ocean temperature measurements made by three different groups. All three groups came to the same conclusion, the oceans are warming significantly.

The study looked at the different ways that the three groups make decisions about mapping, bias and climatology.

<u>Key quote from Dr. Gonjgie Wang, who is the lead author of the study.....</u>

<em>Our study confirms again a robust global ocean warming since 1970. However, there is substantial uncertainty in decadal scale ocean heat redistribution, which explains the contradictory results related to the ocean heat changes during the “slowdown” of global warming in recent decade.</em>

It will be important that we keep high-quality temperature sensors positioned throughout the oceans so in the future we will be able to predict where our climate is headed, according to John Abraham, who was also involved with the study and wrote the article about the research in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/jun/26/new-study-confirms-the-oceans-are-warming-rapidly?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco" target=n>The Guardian</a>