Regular Article

A review of global ocean temperature observations: Implications for ocean heat content estimates and climate change

J. P. Abraham

Corresponding Author

School of Engineering, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minneapolis, USA

Corresponding author: J. P. Abraham, School of Engineering, University of St. Thomas, 2115 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105‐1079, USA. (E-mail address:jpabraham@stthomas.edu)
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M. Baringer

Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, Florida, USA

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N. L. Bindoff

IMAS, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

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T. Boyer

National Oceanographic Data Center, NOAA, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA

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L. J. Cheng

Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Bejing, China

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J. A. Church

Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

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J. L. Conroy

School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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C. M. Domingues

Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

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J. T. Fasullo

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA

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J. Gilson

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, USA

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G. Goni

Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, Florida, USA

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S. A. Good

Met Office Hadley Centre, Exeter, UK

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J. M. Gorman

School of Engineering, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minneapolis, USA

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V. Gouretski

Klima Campus, Hamburg University, Hamburg, Germany

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M. Ishii

Climate Research Department, Meteorological Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan

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G. C. Johnson

Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, NOAA, Seattle, Washington, USA

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S. Kizu

Department of Geophysics, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

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J. M. Lyman

Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, NOAA, Seattle, Washington, USA

Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

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A. M. Macdonald

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusettes, USA

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W. J. Minkowycz

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

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S. E. Moffitt

Bodega Marine Laboratory, Bodega, California, USA

Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, USA

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M. D. Palmer

Met Office Hadley Centre, Exeter, UK

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A. R. Piola

Departamento Oceanografia, Servicio de Hidrografia Naval and Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmosfera y los Oceanos/UMI IFAECI, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

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F. Reseghetti

ENEA–Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy Sustainable Economic Development, UTMAR‐OSS, La Spezia, Italy

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K. E. Trenberth

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA

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I. Velicogna

Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, California, USA

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

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J. K. Willis

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

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First published: 19 August 2013
Cited by: 111

Abstract

The evolution of ocean temperature measurement systems is presented with a focus on the development and accuracy of two critical devices in use today (expendable bathythermographs and conductivity‐temperature‐depth instruments used on Argo floats). A detailed discussion of the accuracy of these devices and a projection of the future of ocean temperature measurements are provided. The accuracy of ocean temperature measurements is discussed in detail in the context of ocean heat content, Earth's energy imbalance, and thermosteric sea level rise. Up‐to‐date estimates are provided for these three important quantities. The total energy imbalance at the top of atmosphere is best assessed by taking an inventory of changes in energy storage. The main storage is in the ocean, the latest values of which are presented. Furthermore, despite differences in measurement methods and analysis techniques, multiple studies show that there has been a multidecadal increase in the heat content of both the upper and deep ocean regions, which reflects the impact of anthropogenic warming. With respect to sea level rise, mutually reinforcing information from tide gauges and radar altimetry shows that presently, sea level is rising at approximately 3 mm yr−1 with contributions from both thermal expansion and mass accumulation from ice melt. The latest data for thermal expansion sea level rise are included here and analyzed.

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