The energy imbalance is the difference between how much solar energy is absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere and surface, and how much thermal infrared radiation is reflected back into space.
Scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have now said in a new study that the Earth’s energy imbalance approximately doubled between 2005 and 2019. They called this increase alarming. “A positive energy imbalance means that the earth’s system is gaining energy, which is causing the planet to heat up,” NASA added in a press release.
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The authors compared data from sensors located on satellites and buoys in the oceans. They monitor how much energy enters the earth’s system and how much leaves it.
The system, which actually spans the globe, allows scientists to accurately estimate the rate at which the world’s oceans are warming. And it has grown significantly in recent years.
“Two independent ways of monitoring changes in the energy imbalance on Earth are in very good agreement. Both show a clear trend, which gives us great certainty that what we see is a real phenomenon, “said Norman Loeb, lead author of the study at NASA. “The trends we’ve found are pretty alarming.”
The reasons are already clear
The heat that would otherwise escape into space is kept in the atmosphere by increased greenhouse gas emissions. This warming then causes other changes, including melting ice and snow. An increase in the amount of water vapor and changes in the number of clouds could increase this warming, NASA said.
However, according to scientists, the natural shift of the Pacific Ocean from the cold phase to the warm phase probably also plays a significant role in increasing the imbalance. “It’s probably a combination of anthropogenic influences and internal variability,” Loeb said. “And during this period, both cause warming, which leads to a relatively large change in the Earth’s energy imbalance. The scale of this increase is unprecedented. “
Loeb added that the research only provides insight into long-term climate change and that, according to NASA, “it is not possible to predict with certainty what the balance of the Earth’s energy budget could look like in the coming decades.”
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