BERLIN (dpa): The world's oceans were warmer in 2024 than at any time since measurements began, a study published on Friday has found.
The record applies to both surface temperatures and the heat stored at a depth of 2,000 metres, according to researchers led by Lijing Cheng of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The oceans play a very important role in the Earth's climate, absorbing around 90% of the heat generated by rising greenhouse gases. They also influence the weather by releasing heat and moisture into the atmosphere.
The study says the warming of the oceans to a depth of 2,000 metres is accelerating. Since 1986 the oceans have absorbed three times as much heat annually as in the years 1958 to 1985, writes the team of 54 researchers from seven countries in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences.
Water data has been collected since 1958. The study found that the surface temperature of the oceans has been rising significantly since at least the 1950s and was about 0.61 degrees Celcius higher in 2024 than in the period 1981 to 2010.
This temperature is crucial because it determines how quickly heat and moisture transfer from the ocean into the atmosphere and thus influence the weather. Water vapour is also a potent greenhouse gas.
For the water surface, it was not clear from the data whether there was an acceleration in the rate of warming, due to the strong annual fluctuations, Cheng said.
"The extra heat and moisture entering the atmosphere will lead to more intense storms with heavier rain, stronger winds and greater flooding," the team writes in the study.
The warming of the seas also reduces the oxygen content of the oceans, which could pose a threat to marine life and ecosystems. - dpa
