concept

global ocean heat content

Also known as: global ocean heat content, ocean heat content, World ocean heat content

Facts (22)

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Comprehensive Overview on the Present State and Evolution of ... link.springer.com Springer Aug 9, 2024 21 facts

measurementOver 90% of the surplus heat resulting from the Earth's energy imbalance accumulates in the oceans, leading to an increase in ocean heat content.

referenceLevitus, S. et al. published 'World ocean heat content and thermosteric sea level change (0–2000 m), 1955–2010' in Geophysical Research Letters in 2012.

referenceMeyssignac et al. (2019) proposed measuring global ocean heat content as a method to estimate the Earth's energy imbalance.

referenceLevitus, S. et al. published 'Global ocean heat content 1955–2008 in light of recently revealed instrumentation problems' in Geophysical Research Letters in 2009.

referenceThe study presents a visual representation of climate change indicators, including land and sea surface air temperatures, sea level rise, sea ice extent, ocean heat content, surface humidity, and total column water vapor.

referenceGarcia-Soto et al. conducted a review and revision of global trends in physical and chemical aspects of the ocean using seven indicators: sea surface temperature, sea level, heat content, ocean pH value, dissolved oxygen concentration, Arctic sea ice extent/volume/thickness, and the magnitude of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation.

referenceThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) maintains a dataset on global ocean heat and salt content, last updated in 2021.

referenceResearchers provided global and regional analyses of ocean heat content changes through 2021 using data from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

referenceThe National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA) provides seasonal, yearly, and pentadal fields for global ocean heat and salt content, updated in 2023.

referenceGarcia-Soto et al. (2021) provided an overview of ocean climate change indicators, including sea surface temperature, ocean heat content, ocean pH, dissolved oxygen concentration, arctic sea ice extent, thickness and volume, sea level, and the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).

measurementThe Southern Ocean represents the largest repository of heat, contributing to approximately 36% of the global increase in ocean heat content in the upper 2000 m since 1958, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

referenceMeyssignac et al. reviewed four state-of-the-art methods for estimating global ocean heat content changes and evaluated their relevance for deriving Earth's energy imbalance estimates across different time scales.

measurementMore than 90% of the Earth's Energy Imbalance (EEI) is stored in the oceans, which contributes to an increase in ocean heat content.

claimThe rate of variation in ocean heat content can fluctuate annually due to factors such as volcanic eruptions and ocean-atmosphere patterns like El Niño, even though greenhouse gas fractions have increased at a relatively consistent pace.

referenceThe Meteorological Research Institute and Japan Meteorological Agency (MRI/JMA) maintain a dataset on global ocean heat content, last updated in 2021.

claimOcean heat content demonstrates a more gradual increase over time compared to surface temperatures, which are subject to significant year-to-year variations caused by phenomena like El Niño and La Niña.

referenceThe Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) released a 2021 update to data originally published by Cheng et al. in Science Advances in 2017, titled 'Improved estimates of ocean heat content from 1960 to 2015'.

claimElevated ocean heat content and sea surface temperatures contribute to the heightened intensity, size, and duration of tropical cyclones, which increases their potential for causing flooding.

referenceOcean heat content is defined as the energy absorbed and retained by the oceans, and according to Cheng et al., it serves as a direct measure of energy accumulation in the oceans.

measurementDuring 2022, global ocean heat content in surface layers (up to 700 m) and deeper layers (700 to 2,000 m) reached unprecedented levels.

measurementGlobal integrals of ocean heat content in the 0 to 2000 m range increased between 1955 and 2022 at a rate of 6.09 ± 0.42 × 10^22 J per decade.

ESS Subtopic 6.2: Climate change – Causes and Impacts mrgscience.com mrgscience.com 1 fact

claimThe increase in radiative forcing correlates with an increase in heat content within the oceans, which contributes to sea-level rise and more extreme weather patterns.