Much of the "excess heat" stored in the subtropical North Atlantic is in the deep ocean (below 700m), new research suggests.

Oceans have absorbed about 90% of warming caused by humans. The study found that in the subtropical North Atlantic (25 N), 62% of the warming from 1850-2018 is held in the deep ocean.

The researchers - from the University of Exeter and the University of Brest - estimate that the deep ocean will warm by a further 0.2 C in the next 50 years.

Ocean warming can have a range of consequences including sea-level rise, changing ecosystems, currents and chemistry, and deoxygenation.

"As our planet warms, it's vital to understand how the excess heat taken up by the ocean is redistributed in the ocean interior all the way from the surface to the bottom, and it is important to take into account the deep ocean to assess the growth of Earth's 'energy imbalance'," said Dr Marie-Jose Messias, from the University of Exeter.

"As well as finding that the deep ocean is holding much of this excess heat, our research shows how ocean currents redistribute heat to different regions.

"We found that this redistribution was a key driver of warming in the North Atlantic."

The researchers studied the system of currents known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).

AMOC works like a conveyer belt, carrying warm water from the tropics north - where colder, dense water sinks into the deep ocean and spreads slowly south.

The findings highlight the importance of warming transferring by AMOC from one region to another.

Dr Messias said excess heat from the Southern Hemisphere oceans is becoming important in the North Atlantic - now accounting for about a quarter of excess heat.

The study used temperature records and chemical "tracers" - compounds whose make-up can be used to discover past changes in the ocean.

The paper, published in the Nature journal Communications Earth and Environment, is entitled: "The redistribution of anthropogenic excess heat is a key driver of warming in the North Atlantic."

Professor Callum Roberts, from the University of Exeter, will speak in New York on 23 May at an event called: "What will it take to protect the oceans?" For more information, visit here.

Research Report:The redistribution of anthropogenic excess heat is a key driver of warming in the North Atlantic

Related Links
University of Exeter
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Jamestown, cradle of America, threatened by rising seas
Jamestown, United States (AFP) May 17, 2022
The waters rose overnight and by morning formed a shallow pond over the grassy field covering a cemetery in Jamestown, one of the founding sites of the American nation. Curators - their feet wet from the water - say it is just the latest in a seemingly endless series of flooding at the first permanent English settlement in North America, a location that was also home to Native American tribes for thousands of years. Sandbags and tarps provide some protection from the elements, but curators war ... read more