Ocean Warming
A key scientific factor driving the increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes, caused by the absorption of solar energy into the oceans.
entitydetail.created_at
8/20/2025, 4:32:14 AM
entitydetail.last_updated
8/20/2025, 4:33:39 AM
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8/20/2025, 4:33:39 AM
Summary
Ocean warming is a significant scientific phenomenon with far-reaching consequences, including the increased intensity of hurricanes like Helene and Milton. This warming trend is paradoxically exacerbated by the mandated removal of sulfur dioxide emissions from shipping, which were previously used to block sunlight. The escalating ocean temperatures pose a substantial economic threat, particularly to the Florida real estate market, and contribute to a crisis in the insurance market, potentially necessitating government intervention.
Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Definition
The absorption of surplus heat attributed to global warming by water in the oceans.
Primary Cause
Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels, which trap solar energy in the atmosphere.
Measurement Method
Measured as Ocean Heat Content (OHC), which is the change in thermal energy in a set volume of water. OHC can be calculated using floating sensors on buoys (Argo floats), ships, probes from aircraft for Sea Surface Temperatures (SST), or satellite-borne sensors for thermal expansion.
Heat Absorption Rate
The ocean has absorbed over 90% of the excess heat added to Earth's climate system due to human activities since the 1970s/1971.
Observed Warming (Deeper Layers)
The rate of warming in the top 6,500 feet of the ocean over the past few decades was about 40% higher than previously estimated.
Observed Warming (Surface Layer)
The top 700 meters (2,300 feet) of the global ocean has warmed approximately 1.5°F since 1901.
Timeline
- Ocean warming stripes indicate rapid warming has occurred since this year. (Source: Climate Central)
1850
- The top 700 meters (2,300 feet) of the global ocean has warmed approximately 1.5°F since this year. (Source: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
1901
- Modern recordkeeping began, showing an increase in the ocean's internal heat (first 2,000 meters of depth). (Source: NASA)
1955
- More than 90% of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases has been transferred to the oceans. (Source: Britannica)
1970s
- The ocean has absorbed 90% of the excess energy added to Earth's climate by burning fossil fuels and other human activities. (Source: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
1971
- The ocean has absorbed about 90% of the warming that has occurred due to increasing greenhouse gases, primarily in the surface ocean. (Source: NASA, Climate Central)
Recent decades
- Ocean warming is raising global sea level, thinning ice shelves and sea ice, and threatening marine ecosystems and human livelihoods. (Source: Climate.gov)
Present
Web Search Results
- Ocean warming | Causes, Effects, & Facts - Britannica
# ocean warming Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. ### What is ocean warming? Ocean warming refers to the absorption of surplus heat attributed to global warming (which is caused by burning fossil fuels in various human activities) by the water in the oceans. It is measured as the change in thermal energy in a set volume of water, which is known as ocean heat content (OHC). ### How is ocean heat content (OHC) measured? [...] ocean warming, the absorption of surplus heat attributed to global warming by water in the oceans. Ocean warming is measured as the change in thermal energy in a set volume of water (which is called ocean heat content, OHC). OHC can be calculated by measuring using floating sensors on buoys (or Argo floats) and ships or from probes dropped from aircraft to measure sea surface temperatures (SST) or by using satellite-borne sensors to measure the thermal expansion of large parcels of water. [...] Ocean warming is primarily caused by greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels, which trap solar energy in the atmosphere. More than 90 percent of this trapped heat has been transferred to the oceans since the 1970s. Increasing heat in the water has been shown to stress individual organisms, alter the process of cellular respiration, and threaten the survival of coral and other organisms. Also, the ongoing absorption of excess carbon dioxide, an important greenhouse gas, by the oceans
- Ocean Warming - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
## What is ocean warming? Rising ocean temperatures are driving unprecedented changes in global marine ecosystems, sea levels, and weather patterns. As heat transforms the ocean, threats to food supplies, economies, and weather multiply, putting human and environmental health at risk. [...] The ocean’s surface layer, home to most marine life, takes most of this heat. As a result, the top 700 meters (2,300 feet) of the global ocean has warmed about 1.5°F since 1901. And scientists recently found that the rate of warming in the top 6,500 feet of the ocean over the past few decades was about 40 percent higher than previously estimated. [...] Increasing ocean heat is closely linked to increases in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, making the ocean an excellent indicator of how much Earth is warming. Since 1971, the ocean has absorbed 90 percent of the excess energy added to Earth's climate by burning fossil fuels and other human activities.
- Ocean Warming | Vital Signs – Climate Change - NASA
The effects of ocean warming include sea level rise due to thermal expansion, coral bleaching, accelerated melting of Earth’s major ice sheets, intensified hurricanes, and changes in ocean health and biochemistry. [...] since 1955 ### Key Takeaway: About ninety percent of global warming is occurring in the ocean. Ninety percent of global warming is occurring in the ocean, causing the water’s internal heat to increase since modern recordkeeping began in 1955, as shown in the upper chart. (The shaded blue region indicates the 95% margin of uncertainty.) This chart shows annual estimates for the first 2,000 meters of ocean depth. [...] Image 4: Fire coral bleaching Coral bleaching is a consequence of a warming ocean. This image shows bleached coral off Islamorada, Florida. Credit: Kelsey Roberts/USGS Covering more than 70% of Earth’s surface, our global ocean has a very high heat capacity. It has absorbed 90% of the warming that has occurred in recent decades due to increasing greenhouse gases, and the top few meters of the ocean store as much heat as Earth's entire atmosphere.
- Climate Change: Ocean Heat Content
In the present, warming of ocean water is raising global sea level because water expands when it warms. Combined with water from melting glaciers on land, the rising sea threatens natural ecosystems and human structures near coastlines around the world. Warming ocean waters are also implicated in the thinning of ice shelves and sea ice, both of which have further consequences for Earth’s climate system. Finally, warming ocean waters threaten marine ecosystems and human livelihoods. For example,
- Rapid Ocean Warming | Climate Central
#### Find region-specific ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes data The Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) is NOAA’s national-regional partnership that collects high-quality data relevant to the nation’s ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes regions. IOOS operates across 11 U.S. regional associations. Each regional association’s website is a hub for region-specific data. _Ocean Warming_, a 2022 Climate Matters brief, reviews warming trends and related impacts in each region. [...] Image 8: CM: Ocean Warming Stripes 2025 (EN) Click the downloadable graphic: Ocean Warming Stripes Ocean warming stripes show this rapid warming since 1850. Each colored stripe represents the annual average temperature of the global oceans relative to a long-term average. Red stripes are years that were hotter than average; blue stripes are years that were cooler. [...] We all depend on the oceans. They regulate climate over long timescales and affect weather on land. They also host vast ecosystems, provide nutrition for billions, and support livelihoods and cultures around the world. But ocean warming disrupts each of these critical functions. And as heat-trapping pollution has warmed the planet in recent decades, about 90% of the excess heat has gone into the ocean — mostly the surface ocean, which has warmed rapidly in recent decades as a result.