The world’s oceans are heating up 13 percent faster than previously thought, says a study published in the journal Science Advances. Ocean temperatures are considered a reliable indicator of the earth’s overall rate of climate change, since 90 percent of any extra heat is absorbed by the ocean, writes John Abraham, a thermal sciences professor at University of St. Thomas and one of the study’s authors, in The Guardian.
The report, which looked at data from 1960 to 2015, also found that the rate of global warming is accelerating. “The warming rate from 1992 is almost twice as great as the warming rate from 1960. Moreover, it is only since about 1990 that the warming has penetrated to depths below about 700 meters,” in the ocean, say Abraham.
The research team was able to use advance data-collecting and analysis techniques to update the work of past teams. Rising ocean temperatures are “affecting weather and climate through more intense rains. This process is a major reason why 2016 was the hottest year ever recorded at the Earth’s surface, beating out 2015 which was the previous record,” says a statement from the research team.