Today, we are using fossil fuels for many purposes that, while they make our lives easier, have an unwanted side effect of adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. So, since 1980 CO2 levels have increased more than 40% which has caused global warming to accelerate.
The oceans absorb more than 90% of all that is heat, something that, inevitably, causes many problems to the life that is in them.
According to a study published in the journal 'Science Advances', the warming of the oceans is already 13% higher than expected and continues to accelerate. To reach that conclusion, they used the Argo flotation system, which are floats that rise and fall autonomously in the oceans, collecting temperature data at depths of 2000 meters. Once uploaded, they send this data wirelessly to satellites for further analysis.
By comparing the temperature measurements with the results they calculated from computer models, and using recent temperature data, they were able to know that the rate of warming in 1992 is almost twice as high as in 1960. This means that ocean warming is accelerating in recent years.
The researchers found that the southern oceans have experienced tremendous warming, while the Atlantic and Indian Oceans have recently started to undergo this process. Still, there is no doubt that, as the temperature increases, little by little and progressively all parts of the planet Earth will be affected.
In the specific case of the oceans, we are already seeing the consequences: coral reefs are bleaching, the krill population has been reduced by more than 80%, and there are some animals, such as jellyfish, that begin to proliferate.
You can read the full study here (In English).