Global warming ‘pause’ may be due to ocean heat

THE heating up of the world’s oceans may have caused the recent ‘pause’ in global warming, a new report has found.
A boat skims through melting ice off Greenland. Picture: AFP/ GettyA boat skims through melting ice off Greenland. Picture: AFP/ Getty
A boat skims through melting ice off Greenland. Picture: AFP/ Getty

Despite global temperatures continuing to gradually rise, scientists said periods of slower warming were expected due to natural variations in the climate.

Three new reports released by the Met Office say that heat has been diverted away from the Earth’s surface and into the deep ocean in recent decades.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Climate change skeptics have been quick to seize on the apparent slowdown in recent global surface temperature rise, claiming it is evidence that warming predictions are inaccurate.

But other changes, such as sea level rise, ocean temperature increase and reductions in Arctic Sea Ice, are consistent with an overall continuation in global warming.

Looking to the future, the Met Office stated that the recent slowdown didn’t alter the risks of “substantial warming of the earth by the end of this century”.

Related topics: