Or should the headline read "how long will it be allowed to continue?" The following article explains what is going on:
Is NOAA trying to warm the current 8+ year pause? | Watts Up With That?
It is odd to see such clear tampering of the record, even though it is small. It gives the impression that something is not right.
Interesting thought on this. The proper way to measure the body temperature of a human is to put the thermometer in the rectum. The proper way to measure the energy gain of the earth is in the oceans. Over 90% of the global warming goes into the oceans. The argo buoys are showing the oceans are warming from the average of over 4000 locations around the earth.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/global-ocean-heat-content/
Science is fun and its interesting to me. There are several negative effects of a warming ocean. More than is mentioned here.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/28/how-our-warmer-oceans-are-contributing-to-climate-breakdown
But why should we care? This is the big question. Does a more stable ocean matter for humans?
It does, and we will feel the effects. First, when warm waters sit at the ocean surface, they affect weather, particularly typhoons and hurricanes. In fact, warm ocean surface water provides the fuel for these large storms.
A warmer ocean, then, is less able to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Consequently, more of the carbon dioxide we emit will remain in the atmosphere, which will lead to more warming.
In addition, a more stable ocean is less efficient at moving nutrients through its waters. This means animals that require the flow of nutrient-rich waters could be at risk.
There is a final risk – one related to more severe implications in the future. The more stable oceans mean we expect the Earth to warm faster in future because of the weakening mixing that penetrates down to deep oceans, and the lower capability of the ocean to absorb carbon dioxide.
In a terrible twist of fate, the warming we have caused in the past has resulted in a more stable ocean, and that will increase future warming – a feedback loop that keeps getting stronger.
It is not all doom and gloom. The good news is we know why the climate is changing and we know how the oceans are responding. We can do something about this problem – we have the ability to slow down climate change. We just lack the will and leadership.
But if 2020 has shown us anything, it has revealed that humans can change and adapt quickly to situations. There is hope that we can navigate the challenges resulting from a more stable ocean – but we must start immediately.