Green Junction - Ocean Power

   Modern measurements of heat absorbed by the earth’s oceans began in the 1960s. Recently, a large team of scientists calculated that the oceans absorbed an extra 23 zettajoules worth of heat in 2025, the most ever recorded. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explains that the oceans cover more than 70% of the earth’s surface and are the “largest solar energy collector on Earth.” There are more than 3000 pieces of equipment around the world that measure ocean temperatures.

                A zettajoule is a crazy, huge amount, 1 x 10^21 joules (sextillion joules), of energy. One researcher described the 23 zettajoules of heat absorbed by the ocean as the equivalent of 12 atomic bomb explosions of energy. The ongoing rise of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, mostly from carbon emissions, translates to more heat in the atmosphere. The oceans absorb about 90% of the excess heat; hence, the rise in ocean temperatures. Added heat means more energy, which supercharges weather events such as hurricanes. The rising ocean temperatures also threaten sea creatures, from coral reefs to fish.

                We have known a great deal about global warming/ climate change for decades. The documentation of the ocean temperatures clearly shows a rising trend since the 1990s. Like many other measurable parameters, this long-term trend tells us, according to the researchers, “the oceans are unequivocally warming.” And, the warming is penetrating to deeper depths of the oceans. To change this trend, the world must reduce carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels and repair carbon absorbers, like the rainforests. Or, the world will endure drastic and damaging outcomes at the hands of deniers of these measured changes.