Another Record: Ocean Warming Continues through 2021 despite La Niña Conditions

"With model experiments, our study shows that the pattern of ocean warming is a result of human-related changes in atmospheric composition. As oceans warm, the water expands and sea level rises. Warmer oceans also supercharge weather systems, creating more powerful storms and hurricanes, as well as increasing precipitation and flood risk." - Lijing Cheng 

• The world's oceans are hotter than ever before, continuing their record-breaking temperature streak for the third straight year.
• The warming pattern is mainly attributed to increased anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations, offset by the impact of aerosols.
• The upper 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) of Earth’s oceans absorbed more than 227 excess zettajoules of energy, compared with the 1981-2010 average. Last year broke the previous record set in 2020 by at least 14 zettajoules.
  • 14 ZJ is the equivalent of 440bn toasters running 24 hours a day, every day for a year.
  • Another way to think about this is that the oceans have absorbed heat equivalent to seven Hiroshima atomic bombs detonating each second, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 
• Warming has significantly increased since the 1980s.
• Over recent decades, portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean have warmed the most.