World's oceans hotter than ever before – study

PanARMENIAN.Net - The world's oceans are warmer than ever — and they are getting warmer faster, Deutsche Welle reports citing a new report.

In a development that provides yet further evidence of global warming, the study, published in the Chinese journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, found that ocean temperatures in the last decade have been the warmest on record.

In addition, the research illustrates the influence of human-induced warming on the Earth's waters and indicates that sea-level rise, ocean acidification and extreme weather could get worse as the oceans go on absorbing excess heat.

"The pace of warming has increased about 500% since the late 1980s," John Abraham, one of the researchers behind the study, told NBC News.

Ocean warming is increasing at an alarming rate, according to the report. In the period between 1987 and 2019, warming accelerated at almost 4 1/2 times the rate observed in the period between 1955 and 1986, the report showed.

The increase in ocean temperature can have wide-ranging repercussions, for both sea and land life. Even the recent bushfires in Australia have been cited by experts as an example of the warmth in the oceans playing a devastating role inland.