We are seeing increases in ocean heat waves and record-breaking ocean temperatures which are causing coastal ecosystems to rapidly change. The amount of heat that our oceans have absorbed from the atmosphere is responsible for intensifying storm activity and rising sea levels. And, in a new study, scientists discovered that the oceans have absorbed 1000 times more energy than what the entire human population uses annually. While ocean heat measurements did not begin until 1950, the researchers were able to use an ocean circulation model to hindcast ocean heat patterns between 1871 and 1950. Currently, ocean heating has accelerated to a point that the Guardian estimates that warming trends are now equivalent to the detonation of three to six nuclear bombs every second.

Source: Forbes January 10, 2019 16:52 UTC