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Just as warm air rises, so does warm water. But warm water is already at the top of the ocean (usually). This inhibits water's vertical mixing. But saltier water, being denser, sinks. This promotes vertical mixing. So can winds. The balance among them is an empirical matter.
From 1961 to 1993, the atmosphere warmed ~50 times as fast as the ocean. From 1993 to 2004, it warmed only 25 times as fast. (See the bar graph, 2nd below. Oceans weigh more than 250 times as much as the atmosphere. Moreover, water has ~4 x the heat capacity of air, gram for gram.) So oceans hold 1,000 times as much heat as air.
Warming in the air at the land surface is terribly sensitive to what % of Earth's net heat absorbed goes into the ocean.
Below and also on Overviews page, 1961-2003 is in blue, 1993-2003 in magenta. More than half the 42-year change was in the then-most recent 10 years.
Ocean heat content at the sea surface is especially high, compared to "normal", in the tropical Atlantic.
2023-2025 Articles
2023-2025 Articles
Cause of Unprecedented North Atlantic Heat to Start Europe’s Hot 2023 Summer 0625.rtf
What Marine Heat Wave off Florida Means for Temperatures, Storms and Coral 0525.rtf
Plastic May Be Warming the Planet More than We Thought 0525.rtf
Climate Change Has Tripled the Length of Deadly Ocean Heat Waves 0425.rtf
Surge in Marine Heat Waves Costs Lives and Billions in Storm Damage 0225.rtf
Oceans Are Warming Faster and Faster as the Earth Traps More Energy 0125.rtf
Tide Going Out on Good News for Oceans 0125.rtf
The Caribbean Has Been Unusually Warm. That’s Not Good. 0125.rtf
Warning From a California Marine Heat Wave 1224.rtf - Remember the death toll from The Blob in the northeast Pacific in 2014?
Hotter Water Makes Hurricane Milton So Ferocious 1024.rtf
Hurricane Milton’s Perilous Track Driven by Hot Gulf Water 1024.rtf
Record Cooling Rate in Big Atlantic Ocean Patch by Equator Baffles Scientists 0824.rtf
Oceans Face ‘Triple Threat’ of Extreme Heat, Oxygen Loss and Acidification 0624.rtf
Historic Ocean Heat Wave Heralds Dangerous Hurricane Season 0524.rtf
The Mother of All Climate Feedbacks? – Ocean Heating 0524.rtf
More Frequent Ocean Heat Waves Trigger Mass Die-Offs of Sea Life 0524.rtf
Ocean Heat Has Shattered Records for More Than a Year. What’s Happening? 0424.rtf
Scientists Fear Planetary Shift, as Record Ocean Heat Enters 2nd Year 0324.rtf
Winter Heat Waves Are Now a Thing. How to Make Sense of Them. 0324.rtf
Record Ocean Temperatures Should Really Scare You 0224.rtf
The Push to Identify Ocean Heat Waves Before They Happen 0923.rtf
‘Astounding’ Ocean Temperatures in 2023 Intensified Extreme Weather 0124.rtf
The Mediterranean Sea Was Also Bizarrely Warm This Summer 1023.rtf
Why Our Oceans Being the Warmest in Recorded History Is So Concerning 0823.rtf
Global Ocean Temperatures Soared to a Record High This Week 0823.rtf
Where Ocean Temperatures Are off the Charts 0723.rtf
Miami’s Atlantic Ocean Surface Temperatures Hit 90°, Fueling Weather Disasters 0723.rtf
Deep-Sea Researchers Probe Mystery of Record Ocean Heat 0723.rtf
Florida Ocean Records ‘Unprecedented’ Temperatures, Similar to a Hot Tub 0723.rtf
Record Hot Oceans Are Driving Weather Disasters around the World 0723.rtf
How Hot Is the Sea Off Florida Right Now? Think 90s Fahrenheit. 0723.rtf - 98°F just off the southwest coast of the Everglades, per July 15 report
Ocean Heat around Florida is Unprecedented. Coral Bleaching Abounds. 0723.rtf
Florida Ocean Temperatures at ‘Downright Shocking’ Levels 0723.rtf
The Oceans Are Unusually Hot and on Track to Get Hotter. That's Not Good. 0723.rtf
Record Temperatures in Warming Oceans Causes Chaotic Weather Patterns 0723.rtf
‘Beyond Extreme’ North Atlantic Heat Wave Is Worst on Record, since 1850 - 0623.rtf
As North Atlantic Sizzles, the Pacific Is Now Heating up Too, Thanks to El Niño 0623.rtf
‘Unheard of’ Marine Heat Wave off UK and Irish Coasts Poses Serious Threat 0623.rtf
The World’s Oceans Shattered Heat Records in April and May 0623.rtf
North Atlantic Temperature Anomaly Sparks Concern among Climate Scientists 0623.rtf
Earth Keeps Breaking Records for Warming Waters 0423.rtf
Recent, Rapid Ocean Warming Ahead of El Niño Alarms Scientists 0423.rtf
Marine Heat Waves Can Happen Even at the Bottom of the Ocean 0323.rtf
Earth’s Oceans Are Showing Early and Surprising Record Warming 0323.rtf
Marine Heat Waves Are Sweeping the Seafloor around North America 0323.rtf
Arctic Climate Modeling Too Conservative, Says New Research 0323.rtf
Gulf of Maine Has 2nd-Hottest Year, after 2021, Getting to ‘Edge of Habitability’ 0223.rtf
Oceans Were the Hottest Ever Recorded in 2022 - 0123.rtf
Why Our Oceans Being the Warmest in Recorded History Is So Concerning 0823.rtf
Marine life struggles with heat, its resulting oxygen loss, and acidification. Coral is especially hard hit. The heat also, via the warming-melting effects on Greenland and Antarctic ice, slows down Atlantic Ocean circulation, especially the AMOC and Gulf Stream. They may collapse around mid-century ± 30 years, slowly and possibly as soon as 2025. The warming also melts sea ice, a major feedback that further accelerates global warming.
Our Oceans Are Hotter than Ever, so Scientists Worry for Our Future 0222.rtf
Extreme Heat in Oceans ‘Passed Point of No Return’ in 2014 - 0222.rtf - Extreme temperatures - occurring just 2% of the time a century ago - have occurred at least 50% of the time across the global ocean since 2014. 90% in hotspots.
Hottest Ocean Temperatures in History Recorded Last Year, for 6th Year in a Row 0122.rtf
2022 Articles and earlier
2022 Articles and earlier
Oceans Are Warming Faster than Ever. Here’s What Could Come Next. 1022.rtf
Ocean Warming Rates to Quadruple by 2090 if Climate Change Not Mitigated 1022.rtf
The Mediterranean Sea Is So Hot, It’s Forming Carbonate Crystals 1022.rtf
Marine Heat Waves Are on the Rise. What Are These Blobs of Hot Water? 0922.rtf
Extreme Heat in Europe Led to “Brutal” Rise in Sea Temperatures 0622.rtf
Lower-Level Ozone Is Responsible for Warming the Antarctic Ocean 0422.rtf
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion and Tropospheric Ozone Increases Drive Southern Ocean Interior Warming 0322.rtf
Our Oceans Are Hotter than Ever, so Scientists Worry for Our Future 0222.rtf
Extreme Heat in Oceans ‘Passed Point of No Return’ in 2014 - 0222.rtf
Hottest Ocean Temperatures in History Recorded Last Year, for 6th Year in a Row 0122.rtf
Warming Oceans - Levitus 0105 2.pdf
Warming Oceans - Levitus 0105.pdf
Extreme Marine Heat Wave off Sydney Set to Break January Temperature Records 0122.rtf
Tropical Climate Change Is a Puzzle—Could Aerosols Be a Piece? 0921.rtf
Average Arctic Ocean’s February Temperatures Warmer than Past 2 Decades 0321.rtf
Southern Ocean Is Warming Faster than Thought, Threatening Antarctic Ice 0121.rtf
Ocean Temperatures Reached Record High in 2020 - 0121.rtf
As Waters Warm, Ocean Heat Waves Are Growing More Severe 1020.rtf
Ocean Heat Waves Are Directly Linked to Climate Change 0920.rtf
Earthquake ‘Hack' Reveals Scale of Ocean Warming 0920.rtf
How Can We Minimize Harm from More Common & Intense Marine Heat Waves? 0820.rtf
Hot East Coast Waters Draw In Weird Fish, Supercharge Hurricane Season 0720.rtf
Deep Ocean Will Be Warming Rapidly by 2050, Even if Global Emissions Decline 0520.rtf
How the Blob Is Warming British Columbia’s Fjords 0520.rtf
Warmest Oceans on Record Adds to Hurricanes, Wildfires Risks 0420.rtf
Abnormally Warm Gulf of Mexico Could Intensify Tornado and Hurricane Seasons 0320.rtf
2019 Was Another Record Year for Ocean Temperatures, Data Show 0120.rtf
There's a Texas-Size Area of Hot Sea Water off the Coast of New Zealand 1219.rtf
Return of the 'Blob' - Hawaii's Reefs Threatened by Marine Heat Wave 1019.rtf
Marine Heat Wave Hits Pacific, Raising Fears of a New Hot 'Blob' 0919.rtf
The Water Is So Hot in Alaska, It's Killing Large Numbers of Salmon 0819.rtf
Surprise! Unexpected Ocean Heat Waves Are Becoming the Norm 0819.rtf
Arctic Melt - Threat to Plankton beneath the Ice 0619.rtf
Ocean Heat Sets a New Sky High Record - UN 0319.rtf
Heat Waves Sweeping Oceans ‘like Wildfires’ 0319.rtf
2018 Was the Ocean's Hottest Year. We'll Feel It a Long Time. 0119.rtf
An Ocean of Evidence on Warming Is Our Cue to Take Action - Now 0119.rtf
World's Oceans Are Warming Faster, Studies Show, Fueling Storms and Sea Rise 0119.rtf
New Findings on Ocean Warming - 5 Questions Answered 1118.rtf
Large Buildup of Heat in the Oceans Suggests a Faster Rate of Global Warming 1018.rtf
2 Human Sources Are Causing Antarctica’s Ocean to Heat Up 0918.rtf
Warm Water under Arctic Ice Is a ‘Ticking Time Bomb’ 0818.rtf
Climate Change Has Doubled the Frequency of Ocean Heat Waves 0818.rtf
Could Record-Warm Seawater Temps Mean Typhoons off the California Coast? 0818.rtf
Northern Barents Sea Warms Dramatically 0718.rtf
'Concerning'- Marine Heat Waves Increasing, Especially near Australia 0418.rtf
2017 Was the Hottest Year Yet In the World's Ocean 0118.rtf
Arctic Sea Change 1017.rtf
Oceans Give the Most Powerful Evidence Climate of Global Warming 1017.rtf
It Takes Just 4 Years to Detect Human Warming of the Oceans 0917.rtf
Oceans Are Warming Rapidly, New Study Confirms 0617.rtf
Earth's Oceans Are Warming 13% Faster than Thought, and Accelerating 0317.rtf
This Is How You Create a Record-Breaking Hurricane 1016.rtf
The Blob - How Marine Heat Waves Are Causing Unprecedented Climate Chaos 0816.rtf
In Warming Oceans, Stronger Currents Releasing Heat in Bigger Storms 0716.rtf
The Biggest Body of Warm Water on Earth Is Getting Even Bigger 0716.rtf
Do Pacific Waters Give Early Warning of East Coast Heat Waves? 0316.rtf
The Arctic Just Set an Ominous New Record 0316.rtf
Scientists Are Floored by What’s Happening in the Arctic Right Now 0216.rtf
What the Earth Will Be Like in 10,000 years, according to Scientists 0216.rtf
Unusually Warm Arctic Winter Yields Record Low Ice Extent for January 0216.rtf
Ocean Warming is Making Floods Worse 0116.rtf
Warmer Indian Ocean Could Be 'Ecological Desert', Scientists Warn 0116.rtf
The Oceans Are Heating Up Faster than We Thought. Why That Matters. 0116.rtf
Warming Indian Ocean Weakens India’s Monsoon 0615.rtf
Pacific Ocean Becomes a Cauldron 1115.rtf
Collapse of New England’s Iconic Cod Tied to Climate Change 1015.rtf
Warming Oceans May Threaten Krill, Cornerstone of the Antarctic Ecosystem 1015.rtf
Heat Rising from the Depths of the Arctic ‘Could Accelerate Ice Melt' 0915.rtf
A Warmer North Pacific Is Staying Warmer, With Dramatic Impact on Marine Life 0915.rtf
Global Warming Is Reversing 1,800 Years of Natural Ocean Cooling 0815.rtf
Surprising Reason for Faster Arctic Meltdown 0715.rtf
Levitus et al. Find Global Warming Continues to Heat the Oceans 0412.rtf
Heat is Piling Up in the Depths of the Indian Ocean 0515.rtf
Going with the Flow - Scientists Probe Changes in the East Australian Current 0515.rtf
Huge Blob of Warm Pacific Water Threatens Ecosystem, May Intensify Drought 0415.rtf
Surprising Reason Why Arctic Warming Could Be Worse than We Thought 0415.rtf
The Hidden Ocean Patch That Broke Climate Records 0415.rtf
US West Coast Is in Hot Water 0315.rtf
The Gulf Stream System May Already Be Weakening. That's Not Good. 0315.rtf
Fresh Look at Ocean Side of Climate Shows ‘Unabated Planetary Warming’ 0215.rtf
Ocean Warming Understimated - 3 Perspectives 1014.rtf
Deep Oceans May Be Storing Heat 1113.rtf
World Ocean Temperature Record 0709.rtf
More Global Warming Hiding in the Oceans? 0513.rtf
Why Earth’s Surface Warming Slowed Recently - Heat Went to Deep Ocean 0313.rtf
Deep Oceans Are Masking Surface Warming 0911.rtf
Multi-Decade Oscillation Goes Cool 0110.rtf
World Oceans Hottest On Record 0809.rtf
Warming Oceans - Levitus 0105.pdf
Establishes that oceans store roughly 43% of Earth's energy gain, as heat.
Section Map: Heat
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