Ocean warming has more than QUADRUPLED over the past 40 years - and scientists say there's only one way to slow it down
Ocean warming has more than QUADRUPLED over the past 40 years - and scientists say there's only one way to slow it down
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Ocean warming has more than quadrupled over the past 40 years, scientists have revealed. Back in the late 1980s, ocean temperatures were rising at a rate of about 0.06°C per decade, according to experts from the University of Reading. Now, that rate has surged to a whopping 0.27°C per decade.
![[Warming of ocean water might sound pleasant for holidaymakers, but previous research has warned that it could have devastating effects, including coral bleaching (pictured)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/28/10/94589457-14332957-image-a-2_1738059137505.jpg)
'If the oceans were a bathtub of water, then in the 1980s, the hot tap was running slowly, warming up the water by just a fraction of a degree each decade,' explained Professor Chris Merchant, lead author of the study. 'But now the hot tap is running much faster, and the warming has picked up speed.'.
Looking ahead, it is 'plausible' that the ocean temperature increase seen over the past 40 years will be exceeded in just the next 20 years. According to the researchers, there's only one surefire way to slow the ocean warming. 'The way to slow down that warming is to start closing off the hot tap, by cutting global carbon emissions and moving towards net-zero,' Professor Merchant added.
Ocean warming has more than quadrupled over the past 40 years, scientists have revealed. Pictured: a polar bear on melting ice in the Arctic. The acceleration in ocean warming is being diven by Earth's growing energy imbalance, according to the team. This means that more energy from the sun is being absorbed by our oceans than is escaping back to space.
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