Disentangling anthropogenic and dynamic contributions to recent ocean warming.

ABSTRACT: As the ocean absorbs over 90% of excess radiative heat, recent ocean warming is shaped by a combination of anthropogenic surface heat gain and dynamical processes redistributing heat. To distinguish these contributions, we introduce a novel framework that decomposes temperature changes into three components: 'spice' (density-compensated variability) and 'heave' (density-contributing variability), with heave further divided into 'passive' (net warming) and 'dynamic' (redistribution) contributions. Passive heave captures anthropogenic warming subducted along isopycnals, while spice and dynamic heave, which globally sum to zero, represent heat redistribution. Observations and climate models demonstrate general agreement on passive heave, establishing it as a key oceanic fingerprint of anthrop

SUBMITTER: Lee J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12033083 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature