The latest State of the Climate report shows that Earth’s energy balance is dangerously out of whack, with oceans absorbing much of the trapped heat.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned that the Earth is facing a record energy imbalance, which is causing ocean temperatures to rise to unprecedented levels, weather events to become more extreme, and threatening our health and food supplies.
Even more grim news was that the increase in temperature felt by humans at the Earth’s surface was only 1% of the heat accumulating more rapidly in the entire Earth system.
More than 90% of that excess is absorbed by the oceans, which last year recorded the highest amount of heat in history. The rate of ocean warming has more than doubled over the past 20 years compared to the previous 45-year average.
They point out that this phenomenon clearly shows the vulnerability of the Earth, which is becoming increasingly unbalanced due to human activities.
이는 지구의 에너지 균형을 깨뜨립니다. In a normal system, the amount of radiant energy entering and leaving the Earth system is approximately equal. But heat surplus has been building up since at least 1960, and the rate has accelerated significantly in recent years.
Closer to the surface, heat waves and acidification are becoming increasingly problematic for corals and other marine life, and the Earth’s ability to reflect solar radiation is weakening, creating a growing energy imbalance.
The new report tracks this phenomenon for the first time, finding that the Earth’s energy imbalance increased by about 11 zeta joules per year between 2005 and 2025.
This is approximately 18 times the total energy use of humanity. Last year it was more than double that average.
“The global climate is in a state of emergency. The planet is reaching its limits and all major climate indicators are sounding red alert,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The impact on the ocean is not yet fully known, but it is expected to be more severe and longer-lasting.
The paper’s authors say more heat is moving into the deep ocean, affecting circulation and sticking the consequences for thousands of years.
Temperatures are not expected to stop rising for the time being. 태평양은 라니냐 현상의 막바지에 접어들고 있는데, 라니냐는 일반적으로 전 세계 대부분 지역의 해수면 온도를 낮추는 현상입니다.
It is likely to change to an El Niño phenomenon later this year, which is expected to bring greater warming.
“A transition to El Niño could lead to a rise in global average temperatures, possibly reaching record levels,” said Dr. John Kennedy, lead author of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report.