Scientists’ annual physical of planet: ‘Earth’s fever rises’
The 2015 State of the Climate report examined 50 different aspects of climate, including dramatic melting of Arctic sea ice and glaciers worldwide.
Scientists said the turbo-charged climate affected walrus and penguin populations and played a role in dangerous algae blooms, such as one off the Pacific Northwest coast.
Much of the intense record-breaking and record-flirting weather was because of a combination of a natural El Niño — the periodic warming of parts of the Pacific that changes weather globally — and ever increasing man-made global warming.
About 450 scientists from around the world helped write the report and in it NOAA highlighted one of the lesser-known measurements — ocean heat content hit record levels both near the surface and deep.
NOAA oceanographer Gregory C. Johnson, a study co-author, said the oceans are storing more heat energy because of man-made climate change.