Oceans Heat Up Four Times Faster: Alarming Climate Change Signal

A study published in Environmental Research Letters finds oceans are warming at four times the rate of the last four decades. This accelerated warming, driven by Earth's energy imbalance, highlights the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions and stabilize global temperatures.

A groundbreaking study published in Environmental Research Letters reveals that ocean warming is accelerating at an alarming pace, now four times faster than in the past four decades. Between 2019 and 2023, ocean temperatures rose by 0.27 degrees Celsius per decade, a stark increase from 0.06 in the late 1980s.

Lead author Chris Merchant of the University of Reading explained, "If the oceans were like a bathtub, the hot tap of the 1980s was gentle, heating the water slightly each decade. Now, the hot tap is gushing, and the temperatures are climbing swiftly." To mitigate this trend, he advocates for cutting global carbon emissions and striving for net-zero.

The analysis attributes this rapid heating to an energy imbalance, with growing greenhouse gases absorbing more solar energy than Earth reflects back into space. This imbalance has nearly doubled since 2010, contributing to record ocean temperatures over 450 consecutive days in 2023 and 2024. The study underscores the urgent need to curb fossil fuel use to stabilize the climate.

(With inputs from agencies.)