Dear Editor: According to the World Meteorological Organization’s 2025 “Report on State of the Global Climate,” the rate of ocean warming reveals how rapidly the earth system is trapping surplus energy due to greenhouse gas emissions. Around 5% of that surplus energy is warming the land, 1% is warming the atmosphere and 3% is warming and melting the cryosphere. However, the majority, around 91%, goes into warming the ocean.
Ocean warming has several consequences, including degradation of marine ecosystems, biodiversity loss and reduction of the ocean carbon sink. It fuels tropical and subtropical storms. Bright white Arctic ice cover is shrinking, reflecting less solar energy back into space and exposing comparatively darker water that absorbs solar energy instead. The Arctic eventually could be ice-free in summer. As they heat up, oceans hold less dissolved gas. As a result, more greenhouse gases will remain in the atmosphere. Ocean water is expanding under higher temperatures, helping to drive up sea levels.
Oceans are a protective buffer, absorbing 91% of the heat we have been trapping with our greenhouse gas emissions. Gradually, the ocean will no longer protect us, and then climate change will accelerate, even as it is already accelerating now.
According to the WMO report, over the past nine years, each year has set a new record for ocean heat content. The rate of ocean warming during 2005–2025 was more than twice that observed over the period 1960–2005.
We need trustworthy, science informed leaders to guide us on the difficult path we face.
Bruce Beck
Madison
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