Oceans break warming records in 2022, and it’s only going to get worse

2022 was the year climate records, all of them are dangerous for the planet. It was the fifth hottest year on record and second in Europe. In addition, the old continent experienced summers with warmer temperatures. changing of the climate He did not stop wreaking havoc and showing that, as we feared, he began to advance with giant strides. Therefore, the latest news is not surprising, but alarming. And this is what, according to a study done Chinese and American scientiststhe oceans are warming and have reached their higher global temperatures.

This is dangerous on many levels. On the one hand, if the oceans warm up, living beings living in them they can get hurt badly. But in other way, People We, who live on Earth, will also be scalded.

We must not forget that the ocean waters are one of our greatest allies in absorbing some of the greenhouse gases atmosphere. Unfortunately, if they continue to heat up, this absorption will get worse and worse, so they will continue to increase, adding fuel to the fire of global warming and starting a destructive vicious circle.

The oceans are heating up

There is something positive about this story. And the fact is that, fortunately, water has a great heat capacity. This means that it takes a lot of energy to raise its temperature by just one degree. This is good, but the truth is that the oceans absorb a lot of energy.

Using two different time scales, Chinese and American scientists have come to the same conclusion regarding 2022. Only this year, ocean waters with a depth above 2000 meters swallowed up 10 zettajoules hotter than last year. This, as explained Scientific Alertis 100 times more electricity consumed in the world in a year. The reason is that the oceans absorb 90% of excess heat from the atmosphere. But, unfortunately, there is a limit to this.

The temperature is not as high as heat that is absorbed, but there is a significant increase. In fact, 2022 was the seventh year in a row that the oceans have warmed up, reaching new peaks.

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other consequences

While the high thermal energy of water can mitigate the harsher heat, there are other problems that it can’t handle. Especially one: salinity contrast.

And the fact is that this increase in the energy absorbed by water causes changes in ocean dynamics which result from more extreme salinity. Freshwater areas are much sweeter, while salty areas are saltier. This may seem like a trifle, but it is not, since differences in salinity are partly responsible for movement of water layers. If the layers of water do not mix, as usual, circulation of heat, oxygen and carbonsignificantly changing aquatic ecosystems.

On the other hand, as the energy increases and the oceans warm, heat is concentrated mainly in the upper layers. They can serve gas hurricanes and storms; but, in addition, contribute to many other extreme atmospheric events that have already begun to be noticed in 2022.

Regarding the ability of the oceans absorb greenhouse gases, is something finite. If the characteristics of the water change, there comes a point where it can no longer be absorbed, so these gases continue to accumulate. This is already happening and could be worse.

So when we hear that the oceans are warming, we should not see it as an opportunity to swim in the sea without freezing, but as bad news that it is.