Journal Article

Another Year of Record Heat for the Oceans

Yu, Fujiang, Wan, Liying, Locarnini, Ricardo, Boyer, Tim, Fasullo, John, Mishonov, Alexey, Mann, Michael E., Liu, Yulong, Cheng, Lijing, Abraham, John, Li, Guancheng, Li, Yuanlong, Simoncelli, Simona, Chen, Xingrong, Trenberth, Kevin E., Zhu, Jiang, Zhang, Bin, Reagan, Jim, Wang, Fan, Song, Xiangzhou, Reseghetti, Franco, Gouretski, Viktor, Feng, Licheng, Chen, Gengxin

2023

Overview

Changes in ocean heat content (OHC), salinity, and stratification provide critical indicators for changes in Earth’s energy and water cycles. These cycles have been profoundly altered due to the emission of greenhouse gasses and other anthropogenic substances by human activities, driving pervasive changes in Earth’s climate system. In 2022, the world’s oceans, as given by OHC, were again the hottest in the historical record and exceeded the previous 2021 record maximum. According to IAP/CAS data, the 0–2000 m OHC in 2022 exceeded that of 2021 by 10.9 ± 8.3 ZJ (1 Zetta Joules = 10 21 Joules); and according to NCEI/NOAA data, by 9.1 ± 8.7 ZJ. Among seven regions, four basins (the North Pacific, North Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea, and southern oceans) recorded their highest OHC since the 1950s. The salinity-contrast index, a quantification of the “salty gets saltier—fresh gets fresher” pattern, also reached its highest level on record in 2022, implying continued amplification of the global hydrological cycle. Regional OHC and salinity changes in 2022 were dominated by a strong La Niña event. Global upper-ocean stratification continued its increasing trend and was among the top seven in 2022.

• Publisher: Science Press,Springer Nature B.V,Institute of Oceanology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Qingdao 266071,China%National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center,Ministry of Natural Resources of China,Beijing 100081,China%College of Oceanography,Hohai University,Nanjing 210098,China%National Marine Data and Information Service,Tianjin 300171,China%Italian National Agency for New Technologies,Energy and Sustainable Economic Development,S.Teresa Research Center,Lerici 19032,Italy%Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia,Sede di Bologna,Bologna 40128,Italy%International Center for Climate and Environment Sciences,Institute of Atmospheric Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100029,China%South China Sea Institute of Oceanology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Guangzhou 510301,China%National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,National Centers for Environmental Information,Silver Spring,Maryland 20910,USA,ESSIC/CISESS-MD,University of Maryland,College Park,MD,College Park,Maryland 20740,USA%Eco-Environmental Monitoring and Research Center,Pearl River Valley and South China Sea Ecology and Environment Administration,Ministry of Ecology and Environment,PRC,Guangzhou 510611,China,International Center for Climate and Environment Sciences,Institute of Atmospheric Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100029,China,Center for Ocean Mega-Science,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Qingdao 266071,China%University of St.Thomas,School of Engineering,Minnesota 55105,USA%National Center for Atmospheric Research,Boulder,Colorado 80307,USA,University of Auckland,Auckland,New Zealand%National Center for Atmospheric Research,Boulder,Colorado 80307,USA%National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,National Centers for Environmental Information,Silver Spring,Maryland 20910,USA%Department of Earth and Environmental Science,University of Pennsylvania,Philadelphia,Pennsylvania 19104,USA%Center for Ocean Mega-Science,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Qingdao 266071,China,Springer
• Subject: Anthropogenic factors / Atmospheric Sciences / Climate and Weather Extremes / Climate system / Earth and Environmental Science / Earth Sciences / El Nino phenomena / Enthalpy / Geophysics/Geodesy / Greenhouse gases / Heat content / Human influences / Hydrologic cycle / Hydrological cycle / La Nina / La Nina events / Meteorology / Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences / Oceans / Original Paper / Salinity / Salinity effects / Stratification