| Global warming fingerprint | |
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Ocean Warming, sea-level rise and coastal flooding |
World Ocean
The world ocean has experienced a net warming of 0.11°F (0.06°C) from the sea surface to a depth of 10,000 feet (3000 m) over the past 35-45 years. More than half of the increase in heat content has occurred in the upper 1000 feet (300 m), which has warmed by 0.56°F (0.31°C). Warming is occurring in all ocean basins and at much deeper depths than previously thought. These findings lend support to the hypothesis that the oceans are taking up excess heat as the atmosphere warms, and would account for the apparent discrepancy in the magnitude of the observed atmospheric warming as compared to climate model predictions.
Reference: Levitus, J., I. Antonov, T.P. Boyer, and C. Stephens, 2000. Warming of the World Ocean. Science, 287: 2225-2229.
