The previous year was a record for the temperature of the World Ocean. If it continues to rise, it does not bode well.
New material, published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, claims that in 2018, ocean temperatures reached their highest levels since accurate measurements began in the 1950s.
The rise in global ocean temperature between 2017 (the previous record) and 2018 is about 388 times the total heat generated by China in 2017, according to a study published by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
At depths of up to two thousand meters, the temperature of the oceans was calculated using data from various measuring devices, such as the Argo, a set of three floating instruments that measure the temperature and salt concentration in water.
Following 2018 and 2017, 2015 is considered the third hottest year for ocean temperatures, followed by 2016, and 2014 closes the top five. And this is our fault.
Changing the temperature of the oceans is a good way to understand the impact of human activity on the planet, since most of the heat concentrated in greenhouse gases is absorbed by the oceans.
Warming oceans can have long-term consequences. Temperature and humidity levels also increase as the water heats up, which can lead to increased frequency and duration of storms and heavy rains, the paper claims.
Higher ocean temperatures can also accelerate sea ice melting, leading to higher sea levels and more frequent coastal flooding. Elevated temperatures can lower oxygen levels in the water, which can create so-called dead zones in which plants and animals cannot survive. If the ocean's surface warms up by two degrees Celsius this century, 99% of Earth's coral reefs will fade, making them more susceptible to disease.
Promotional video:
"The new data, along with a large body of literature, serve as an additional warning - to governments and the public alike - that we are living in an age of imminent global warming," said lead author Lijing Cheng, associate professor at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics. "Warming is already hurting the economy and society." Vladimir Guillen