The oceans have never been hotter than they are now
2017 was only the second-warmest year on record, according to NASA. But when it comes to the ocean, temperatures have never been warmer.
New data from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Atmospheric Physics analyzing ocean data from the last half century shows a clear trend: The oceans are steadily getting warmer, with this year registering the hottest yet. And while the atmospheric temperature is more susceptible to year-to-year shifts, the data from the Earth’s waters shows the consistency with which our world is heating up.
“The ocean heat records are so impressive because they’re absolutely on a steady warming trend,” Robert Anderson, a geochemist at Columbia University, told VICE News. “People who point to pauses in global warming haven’t looked at the warming of the oceans.”
The new study, published Friday, analyzed data from the top 2,000 meters of ocean waters around the globe, concluding that ocean waters topped record temps in 2017.