In the joint report prepared by the US Aerospace Agency (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the difference between how much of the energy from the Sun is kept in the form of heat by the Earth and how much is released back into space was revealed using satellite data.
Emphasizing that between 2005 and 2019, the heat retention known as “energy imbalance” almost doubled, the report pointed out that this situation caused the ocean, air and land to warm up rapidly.
In the report, it was noted that the Earth received about 240 watts of energy per square meter from the Sun, and in 2005 measurements it emitted about 239.5 of it back into space, while it was determined that the “energy imbalance” of half a watt per square meter increased to about 1 watt in 2019.
It was pointed out that the said energy imbalance was caused by the increase in greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as well as the decrease in cloud cover and the ice layer in the seas, and the increase in water evaporation that traps the sun’s heat.
“WORLD IS WARMING FASTER THAN EXPECTED”
The lead author of the report is NASA scientist Norman Loeb. “The magnitude of the increase is unprecedented. The world is warming faster than expected.” made its assessment.
Gregory Johnson of NOAA, the co-author of the report pointing out that the heat absorbed on Earth is “unbelievably great”, said that the increase in energy is equivalent to 4 atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima every second, or every person on Earth using 20 electric kettles at the same time. stated that.
Loeb and Johnson warned that if the energy imbalance in the world continues in this way, it is expected that the temperature will increase further in the coming years and that climate change will begin to manifest itself in a way that will affect the lives of societies.
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