Climate is accumulating 4 Hiroshima atomic bombs worth of heat per second
3 hours ago
- Earth's climate is accumulating heat at a rate equivalent to four Hiroshima atomic bombs per second.
- About 90% of this heat goes into the oceans, with the rest warming land, air, and melting ice.
- The primary driver is human activity, especially burning fossil fuels, which releases billions of tonnes of CO₂ annually.
- The Skeptical Science widget visualizes this heat using relatable comparisons like four atomic bombs or two Hurricane Sandys per second.
- Ocean warming occurs in three layers, with recent data showing deeper layers (below 700 m) are also heating.
- Greenhouse gases trap infrared radiation, maintaining Earth's temperature; without them, the surface would be -15°C.
- Climate change indicators include earlier springs, poleward species migration, glacier retreat, and sea level rise.
- Natural factors (solar variations, volcanoes) play minor roles; the current warming trend is overwhelmingly due to greenhouse gases.
- Ice melt from Greenland, Arctic, and Antarctic is accelerating, contributing to sea level rise.
- Skeptical Science is a non-profit resource that debunks climate myths and provides educational tools.