Journal Article

Warming of the World Ocean

Boyer, Timothy P., Stephens, Cathy, Levitus, Sydney, Antonov, John I.

2000

Overview

We quantify the interannual-to-decadal variability of the heat content (mean temperature) of the world ocean from the surface through 3000-meter depth for the period 1948 to 1998. The heat content of the world ocean increased by ∼ 2× 1023joules between the mid-1950s and mid-1990s, representing a volume mean warming of 0.06°C. This corresponds to a warming rate of 0.3 watt per meter squared (per unit area of Earth's surface). Substantial changes in heat content occurred in the 300- to 1000-meter layers of each ocean and in depths greater than 1000 meters of the North Atlantic. The global volume mean temperature increase for the 0- to 300-meter layer was 0.31°C, corresponding to an increase in heat content for this layer of ∼ 1023joules between the mid-1950s and mid-1990s. The Atlantic and Pacific Oceans have undergone a net warming since the 1950s and the Indian Ocean has warmed since the mid-1960s, although the warming is not monotonic.

• Publisher: American Society for the Advancement of Science,American Association for the Advancement of Science,The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subject: Case studies / Climate / Climate change / Climate models / Congenital Impairments / Correlation / Earth, ocean, space / Enthalpy / Exact sciences and technology / External geophysics / Global warming / Heat storage / Indian Ocean / Marine / marine environment / Ocean temperature / ocean-atmosphere system / Oceanographic research / Oceanography / Oceans / Physical and chemical properties of sea water / Physics of the oceans / Scientific Concepts / Seas / Statistical Significance / Temperature / water temperature / World ocean