NASA detects Earth is holding unprecedented amounts of heat: ‘That’s really bad news’

“The magnitude of the increase is unprecedented. The Earth is warming faster than expected,” said Norman Loeb, a NASA scientist and lead author of the study published this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. know.

Using satellite data, researchers from NASA and the US Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) measured the so-called energy imbalance that Earth is experiencing. This is the difference between the amount of energy absorbed by the Earth from the sun, and the amount of heat that can be radiated or radiated back into space. Accordingly, scientists discovered that the Earth is currently absorbing more heat than it is losing. This is considered the first step towards global warming.

Research shows that the aforementioned imbalance has nearly doubled between 2005 and 2019. The amount of energy ‘contained’ by the Earth is so great that it is equivalent to 20 kettles per person in the world. electric tea at the same time.

According to scientists’ estimates, the Earth absorbs about 240 watts per square meter of energy from the Sun. The oceans absorb most of that heat, accounting for about 90%.

At the beginning of the study period (that is, in 2005), the Earth radiated back into space about 239.5 watts. – produces a difference of about half a watt. However, in 2019, the difference between the amount of energy absorbed by the Earth and the amount of energy released into space has nearly doubled – to about 1 watt per square meter.

The biggest question is what drives this excessive heat build-up.

Research shows that a decrease in cloud cover and sea ice, which reflects the sun’s energy back into space, causes the Earth to retain more heat. At the same time, an increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gases, such as methane and carbon dioxide, as well as water vapor, exacerbates the situation.

The time period studied also overlaps with fluctuations in climate, which may play an important role in accelerating heat retention. It includes a strong El Niño event from 2014 to 2016, which resulted in seas across the oceans becoming unusually warm. That extra heat, especially in the oceans, will mean much more intense storms and marine heatwaves.

“That’s not good news,” warned the study’s lead author, Norman Loeb.

See the Washington Post