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Indicators of a Warming Globe

This project explores the impact of ocean warming on climate change by examining the role of the oceans in absorbing and releasing heat, transporting heat over large distances, and absorbing significant amounts of carbon dioxide. It also discusses the causes of sea level rise, including the melting of ice sheets and thermal expansion. The project highlights the accelerating rate of Greenland ice sheet melting and the ongoing global sea level rise.

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Indicators of a Warming Globe

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  1. Indicators of a Warming Globe Jorge Vazquez Project Scientist for Sea Surface Temperature and Salinity Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center

  2. The Oceans • Cover 70% of the Earth’s surface • Hold 97% of Earth’s water • Hold over 1000 times the heat of the atmosphere • Receive 80% of rainfall “How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is quite clearly Ocean.” – Arthur C. Clarke

  3. How the Oceans Propel Climate Change Absorbs and releases heat (affects sea level) Transports heat over large distances - affects local weather and storm activity Absorbs and releases huge quantities of carbon dioxide

  4. Where Does the Heat go? It’s the Ocean!!!

  5. We can measure the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and monitor the polar • ice caps • We can measure the rise of global • sea level to an accuracy of • millimeters/year • Both of these are increasing at an • accelerating rate

  6. addition of heat addition of freshwater Causes of Sea Level Rise Total sea level rise + =

  7. Ice Sheet Change 2002-2009 Derived From GRACE satellite observations Greenland Antarctica Sea level rise coming from: - ocean thermal expansion (1/3) - melting of mountain glaciers (1/3) - melting of Greenland and Antarctic ice (1/3)

  8. Tide Gauge Observations 3.2 mm/year 2.0 mm/year ~ 8 inches (20 cm) 0.8 mm/year [Church and White, 2006]

  9. Global Sea Level Rise from TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason

  10. Spatial Map of Sea Level Rise

  11. Gulf Stream

  12. Conclusions • Sea Level rises because of the addition of freshwater and thermal expansion (heat!) • Greenland ice sheet melting at an accelerating rate! • Global sea level continues to rise (accelerating)!

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