Warming oceans and atmosphere visualised in new climate stripes study
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A new study involving the University of Liverpool reveals striking temperature shifts across both the oceans and the atmosphere, using an extended version of the now-iconic climate stripes visualisation.
Published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, the research demonstrates consistent warming patterns in the upper oceans and lower atmosphere (troposphere), with the warmest years recorded in the past decade.
The visualisation uses a blue-to-red striped pattern—known as the Climate Stripes—to communicate the progression of global warming over time.
Professor Ric Williams, from the University of Liverpool’s Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, contributed to the ocean component of the study.
He collaborated with Professor Ed Hawkins, climate scientist at the University of Reading and creator of the Climate Stripes, to investigate whether the warming trend observed in surface air temperatures extends into the ocean.
Working alongside Dr Vassil Roussenov, also from the University of Liverpool and Dr Doug Smith at the UK Met Office, the team exploited global reconstructions of ocean temperatures used for decadal forecasts.
Drawing on data from the Argo float programme and UK Met Office analyses, the researchers evaluated temperature changes in the upper 1500 metres of the ocean. Their findings revealed warming trends throughout the ocean interior that closely mirror those observed in the atmosphere.
Professor Ric Williams said: “These new warming stripes reveal how deeply climate signals are embedded throughout both the lower atmosphere and the upper ocean. While year-to-year variations exist, the decade-by-decade warming trend is unmistakable.”
The study also introduces "warning stripes"—projections of possible future temperatures based on various greenhouse gas emission scenarios. These projections starkly illustrate that without substantial emissions reductions, today's warmest years may be considered relatively cool in the future.
Professor Ric Williams added: “The only way to halt this trajectory is by cutting carbon emissions.”
Professor Ed Hawkins, lead author of the study, commented: “Warming is evident throughout our entire climate system, from ocean depths to the atmosphere above. These new stripes help people—regardless of their scientific background—visually grasp the scale and consistency of global warming. The message is clear: we are at a pivotal moment that demands urgent action.”
The paper, `Warming Stripes Spark Climate Conversations: From the Ocean to the Stratosphere' (DOI: 10.1175/BAMS-D-24-0212.1), is published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.