Ocean temperatures skyrocketing, may spin out of control
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A study exhibits that ocean heat content, global sea levels, and greenhouse gas emissions all reached record highs in 2021.
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Bleached corals in the ocean (NPL)
According to the State of the Climate report published Wednesday, compelling scientific evidence demonstrates that the devastating global impacts of climate change show no sign of decreasing, per Rick Spinrad of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which led the study.
The oceans are absorbing the vast majority of the extra heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions, which also showed being at the highest level on record last year, indicating that the planet is absorbing far more heat than it is emitting back into space.
Ocean warming is increasingly tied to extreme weather and climate events, as the global average sea level rose to a record high for the 10th consecutive year.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, the world's oceans absorb more than 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases.
Read more: Human-caused climate change causing 'ocean amnesia'
When satellite measurement records began, the global average sea level was approximately 3.8 inches higher in 2021 than the 1993 average, and Earth's warming trend does not seem to be stopping, with 2021 among the six warmest years since records began in the mid-to-late 1800s, per the report's finding. 2015 to 2021 were the seven warmest years on record.
In a statement, Spinrad commented, "With many communities hit with 1,000-year floods, exceptional drought, and historic heat this year, it shows that the climate crisis is not a future threat but something we must address today as we work to build a Climate-Ready Nation — and world — that is resilient to climate-driven extremes."
Scientists have revealed that some parts of the Mediterranean are this year more than 6°C warmer than usual in comparison with previous years, which sparks fears that the sea's fragile ecosystems are suffering what can be called a "marine wildfire" and being changed forever by global warming.
