Anthropogenic Warming of Earth's Climate System

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 292; no. 5515; pp. 267 - 270
• Main Authors: Levitus, Sydney, Antonov, John I., Wang, Julian, Delworth, Thomas L., Dixon, Keith W., Broccoli, Anthony J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 13.04.2001; American Association for the Advancement of Science; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Aerosols; Atmosphere; Climate; Climate change; Climate models; Climatology. Bioclimatology. Climate change; Cryosphere; Earth, ocean, space; Enthalpy; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Global climate models; Global warming; Greenhouse gases; Heat; Ice; Meteorology; Ocean-atmosphere interaction; ocean-atmosphere system; Oceanic climates; Oceans; Sea ice; Sulfates; temporal variations; Thermodynamics; World Ocean; Thermal properties; Warming; General circulation models; Numerical simulation; Climate modification; Time variation; Cryosphere; World ocean; Anthropogenic factor
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1058154

We compared the temporal variability of the heat content of the world ocean, of the global atmosphere, and of components of Earth's cryosphere during the latter half of the 20th century. Each component has increased its heat content (the atmosphere and the ocean) or exhibited melting (the cryosphere). The estimated increase of observed global ocean heat content (over the depth range from 0 to 3000 meters) between the 1950s and 1990s is at least one order of magnitude larger than the increase in heat content of any other component. Simulation results using an atmosphere-ocean general circulation model that includes estimates of the radiative effects of observed temporal variations in greenhouse gases, sulfate aerosols, solar irradiance, and volcanic aerosols over the past century agree with our observation-based estimate of the increase in ocean heat content. The results we present suggest that the observed increase in ocean heat content may largely be due to the increase of anthropogenic gases in Earth's atmosphere.