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[[File:Ocean Heat Content (2012).png|thumbnail|400px|right|Ocean heat content (OHC), [http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/OC5/3M_HEAT_CONTENT/ NOAA] 2012]]
[[File:Oceans of Climate Change.ogv|thumbnail|right|Oceanographer Josh Willis discusses the heat capacity of water, performs an experiment to demonstrate heat capacity using a water balloon and describes how water's ability to store heat affects Earth's climate.]]
[[File:The Ocean A Driving Force for Weather and Climate.webm|thumb|thumbtime=40|This animation uses Earth science data from a variety of sensors on NASA Earth observing satellites to measure physical oceanography parameters such as ocean currents, ocean winds, sea surface height and sea surface temperature. These measurements can help scientists understand the ocean's impact on weather and climate. (in HD)]]

'''Oceanic heat content''' (OHC) is the heat stored in the ocean. [[Oceanography]] and [[climatology]] are the science branches which study ocean heat content. The changes in the ocean heat play an important role in [[sea level rise]], because of [[thermal expansion]]. It is with high confidence that Ocean warming accounts for 90% of the energy accumulation from [[global warming]] between 1971 and 2010.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Summary for policymakers | year = 2013 | url=http://www.climatechange2013.org/images/uploads/WGIAR5-SPM_Approved27Sep2013.pdf PDF | author = IPCC AR5 WG1 }}</ref>

== Definition and measurement ==
It is defined as:<ref>{{cite book|last=Dijkstra|first=Henk A.|title=Dynamical oceanography|year=2008|publisher=Springer Verlag|location=Berlin|isbn=9783540763758|page=276|edition=[Corr. 2nd print.]}}</ref>

<math>
H= \rho c_p \int_{h2}^{h1} T(z) dz
</math>

<math>\rho</math> - water density, <math>c_p </math> - sea water specific heat capacity, h2 - bottom depth, h1 - top depth, <math> T(z) </math> - temperature profile.

OHC is computed from temperature measurements, often taken with a [[Nansen bottle]]. The [[Argo (oceanography)|ARGO float project]] deployed 3000 ''floaters'' around the worlds Ocean, which periodically dive to take temperature and [[salinity]] measurements. The [[World Ocean Database Project]] is the largest database for temperature profiles from all of the world’s oceans.

== Recent changes ==
[[File:WhereIsTheHeatOfGlobalWarming.svg|thumb|left|alt=refer to caption|The increase in ocean [[heat content]] is much larger than any other store of [[energy]] in the Earth’s heat balance over the two periods 1961 to 2003 and 1993 to 2003, and accounts for more than 90% of the possible increase in heat content of the Earth system during these periods.<ref>
{{Cite book
| at=[http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch5s5-2-2-3.html Sec 5.2.2.3 Implications for Earth’s Heat Balance]
| chapter=Ch. 5: Observations: Oceanic Climate Change and Sea Level
| chapter-url=http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch5.html
| author=Bindoff, N.L., ''et al.''
| ref=harv
}}, in {{harvnb|IPCC AR4 WG1|2007}}, referred to by:
{{Cite journal
| title=Climate Graphics by Skeptical Science: Global Warming Components:
| at=Components of global warming for the period 1993 to 2003 calculated from IPCC AR4 5.2.2.3
| url=http://www.skepticalscience.com/graphics.php?g=12
| publisher=Skeptical Science
| ref=harv
}}
</ref>]]
Several studies in recent years, found a [[Multi-decadal oscillation|multidecadal]] increase in OHC of the deep and upper ocean regions and attribute the heat uptake to [[anthropogenic]] warming.<ref>{{cite journal | title = A review of global ocean temperature observations: Implications for ocean heat content estimates and climate change | year = 2013 | author = Abraham et al. | doi= 10.1002/rog.20022 }}</ref> Studies based on ''ARGO'' indicate that ocean surface [[wind]]s change ocean heat vertical distribution.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Distinctive climate signals in reanalysis of global ocean heat content |year = 2013 | author = Balmaseda, Trenberth & Källén | doi= 10.1002/grl.50382 }} [http://www.rmets.org/weather-and-climate/climate/has-global-warming-stalled Essay]</ref> Especially the [[Subtropical ridge|subtropical trade winds]] in the [[Pacific]] ocean have provided a mechanism for vertical heat distribution. The effect are changes in the [[ocean current]]s, increasing the [[Thermohaline circulation#Movement of thermohaline circulation|subtropical overturning]], which are also related to the [[El Niño]] and [[La Niña]] phenomenon. Depending on stochastic natural variability fluctuations, during La Niña years around 30% more heat from the upper ocean layer is transported into the deeper ocean.
Model studies indicate that [[ocean currents]] transport more heat into deeper layers during La Niña years, following changes in wind circulation.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Model-based evidence of deep-ocean heat uptake during surface-temperature hiatus periods | year = 2011 | url= [http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v1/n7/full/nclimate1229.html Abstract][http://www.skepticalscience.com/The-Deep-Ocean-Warms-When-Global-Surface-Temperatures-Stall--.html Discussion]| author = Meehl et al. | doi= 10.1038/nclimate1229 }}</ref> Years with increased ocean heat uptake have been associated with negative phases of the [[Pacific decadal oscillation|interdecadal Pacific oscillation]] (IPO).<ref>{{cite journal | title = A Looming Climate Shift: Will Ocean Heat Come Back to Haunt us? | year = 2013 | url= http://www.skepticalscience.com/A-Looming-Climate-Shift-Will-Ocean-Heat-Come-Back-to-Haunt-us.html| author = Rob Painting }}</ref> This has become of particular interests to climate scientist who use the data to estimate the ''ocean heat uptake''.

==See also==
*[[Sea surface temperature]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|1}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ocean heat content}}
[[Category:Basic meteorological concepts and phenomena]]
[[Category:Climate change]]
[[Category:Climatology]]
[[Category:Oceanography]]

Software equation - Revision history

90.145.202.210 at 07:47, 15 October 2014

en>Helpful Pixie Bot: Dated {{Incomplete}}. (Build p613)