Robust acceleration of Earth system heating observed over the past six decades
Abstract Global heating of the Earth system is unequivocal. However, detecting an acceleration of Earth heating has remained elusive to date, despite suggestive evidence of a potential increase in heating rates. In this study, we demonstrate that since 1960, the warming of the world ocean has accele...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49353-1 |
| _version_ | 1797371226050527232 |
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| author | Audrey Minière Karina von Schuckmann Jean-Baptiste Sallée Linus Vogt |
| author_facet | Audrey Minière Karina von Schuckmann Jean-Baptiste Sallée Linus Vogt |
| author_sort | Audrey Minière |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Global heating of the Earth system is unequivocal. However, detecting an acceleration of Earth heating has remained elusive to date, despite suggestive evidence of a potential increase in heating rates. In this study, we demonstrate that since 1960, the warming of the world ocean has accelerated at a relatively consistent pace of 0.15 ± 0.05 (W/m2)/decade, while the land, cryosphere, and atmosphere have exhibited an accelerated pace of 0.013 ± 0.003 (W/m2)/decade. This has led to a substantial increase in ocean warming, with a magnitude of 0.91 ± 0.80 W/m2 between the decades 1960–1970 and 2010–2020, which overlies substantial decadal-scale variability in ocean warming of up to 0.6 W/m2. Our findings withstand a wide range of sensitivity analyses and are consistent across different observation-based datasets. The long-term acceleration of Earth warming aligns qualitatively with the rise in CO2 concentrations and the decline in aerosol concentration during the same period, but further investigations are necessary to properly attribute these changes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T18:15:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9e5143981d954beb9c8d9f64b1e1b526 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T18:15:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-9e5143981d954beb9c8d9f64b1e1b5262023-12-31T12:09:29ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-12-0113111310.1038/s41598-023-49353-1Robust acceleration of Earth system heating observed over the past six decadesAudrey Minière0Karina von Schuckmann1Jean-Baptiste Sallée2Linus Vogt3Université Toulouse III - Paul SabatierMercator Ocean InternationalLOCEAN-IPSL, Laboratoire d’Océanographie et du Climat: Expérimentation et Approches Numériques, CNRS/IRD/MNHN, Sorbonne UniversitéLOCEAN-IPSL, Laboratoire d’Océanographie et du Climat: Expérimentation et Approches Numériques, CNRS/IRD/MNHN, Sorbonne UniversitéAbstract Global heating of the Earth system is unequivocal. However, detecting an acceleration of Earth heating has remained elusive to date, despite suggestive evidence of a potential increase in heating rates. In this study, we demonstrate that since 1960, the warming of the world ocean has accelerated at a relatively consistent pace of 0.15 ± 0.05 (W/m2)/decade, while the land, cryosphere, and atmosphere have exhibited an accelerated pace of 0.013 ± 0.003 (W/m2)/decade. This has led to a substantial increase in ocean warming, with a magnitude of 0.91 ± 0.80 W/m2 between the decades 1960–1970 and 2010–2020, which overlies substantial decadal-scale variability in ocean warming of up to 0.6 W/m2. Our findings withstand a wide range of sensitivity analyses and are consistent across different observation-based datasets. The long-term acceleration of Earth warming aligns qualitatively with the rise in CO2 concentrations and the decline in aerosol concentration during the same period, but further investigations are necessary to properly attribute these changes.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49353-1 |
| spellingShingle | Audrey Minière Karina von Schuckmann Jean-Baptiste Sallée Linus Vogt Robust acceleration of Earth system heating observed over the past six decades Scientific Reports |
| title | Robust acceleration of Earth system heating observed over the past six decades |
| title_full | Robust acceleration of Earth system heating observed over the past six decades |
| title_fullStr | Robust acceleration of Earth system heating observed over the past six decades |
| title_full_unstemmed | Robust acceleration of Earth system heating observed over the past six decades |
| title_short | Robust acceleration of Earth system heating observed over the past six decades |
| title_sort | robust acceleration of earth system heating observed over the past six decades |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49353-1 |
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