300 years of sclerosponge thermometry shows global warming has exceeded 1.5 °C
The University of Western Australia · ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology · +3 more institutions
Abstract
Abstract Anthropogenic emissions drive global-scale warming yet the temperature increase relative to pre-industrial levels is uncertain. Using 300 years of ocean mixed-layer temperature records preserved in sclerosponge carbonate skeletons, we demonstrate that industrial-era warming began in the mid-1860s, more than 80 years earlier than instrumental sea surface temperature records. The Sr/Ca palaeothermometer was calibrated against ‘modern’ (post-1963) highly correlated ( R 2 = 0.91) instrumental records of global sea surface temperatures, with the pre-industrial defined by nearly constant (<±0.1 °C) temperatures from 1700 to the early 1860s. Increasing ocean and land-air temperatures overlap until the…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 58.17
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 34
Authors
4- MTMalcolm T. McCullochCorresponding
The University of Western Australia, ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
- AWAmos Winter
Indiana State University
- CEClark E. Sherman
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
- JTJulie Trotter
The University of Western Australia
Topics & keywords
- Global warming
- Environmental science
- Effects of global warming on oceans
- Sea surface temperature
- Climatology
- Industrial Revolution
- Climate change
- Atmospheric sciences
- Life below water
Funding
- NSNational Science FoundationAward: 0738825
- NONational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationAwards: NA06NOS4780190, NA11NOS4260184
- ARAustralian Research CouncilAwards: FT160100259, CE140100020, LF1201000
- CFCenter for Sponsored Coastal Ocean ResearchAward: NA11NOS4260184
- NCNational Centers for Coastal Ocean Science