Oceans

    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.

Why Our Oceans Being the Warmest in Recorded History Is So Concerning 0823

      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.

The Mediterranean Sea Was Also Bizarrely Warm This Summer 1023.rtf

Where Ocean Temperatures Are off the Charts 0723.rtf (next 6)

The Oceans Are Unusually Hot and on Track to Get Hotter. That's Not Good. 0723.rtf

‘Beyond Extreme’ North Atlantic Heat Wave Is Worst on Record, since 1850 - 0623.rtf

‘Unheard of’ Marine Heat Wave off UK and Irish Coasts Poses Serious Threat 0623.rtf

Earth Keeps Breaking Records for Warming Waters 0423.rtf

Recent, Rapid Ocean Warming Ahead of El Niño Alarms Scientists 0423.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 - 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

The Gulf Stream System May Already Be Weakening. That's Not Good. 0315.rtf

Warming Oceans - Levitus 0105.pdf - Establishes that oceans store roughly 43% of Earth's energy gain, as heat.

Section Map: Heat