2018 was the hottest for the planet’s oceans
2018 was the hottest for the planet’s oceans since global records began in 1958, according to an international team of scientists who track the data. The findings were published in the scientific journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences bit.ly/2FAQXmv.
The report noted that the five warmest years for our oceans were the last five years—2018, 2017, 2015, 2016 and 2014. Each new year outperform the last. This means there could potentially be a six-fold increase in ocean warming by 2081-2100 if no action takes place.
Warmer oceans lead to a variety of problems, such as sea level rise, more intense storms with heavier rainfall, coral bleaching and melting polar ice. The increasing amount of heat-trapping gases, such as carbon dioxide, released into the atmosphere by humans, creates an energy imbalance that leads to global heating.
To illustrate, the heat increase from 2017 to 2018 alone is roughly 388 times more than China’s total electricity generation in 2017, according to a press release of the study bit.ly/2MhN5Hs.
Graphics Courtesy: Washington Post
