--- title: Earth's Oceans Are Warming Faster Than Anticipated: Study description: The planet's oceans are warming a lot quicker than estimated, highlighting the perils of unchecked climate change, according to a new study canonical: https://time.com/5500002/oceans-warming-climate-change-impact/ author: Kamakshi Ayyar article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-01-11T05:43:53.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T22:28:33.253Z article:section: Science og:title: Oceans Are Warming Faster Than We Thought, New Study Says og:description: Sea levels could rise 30cm by the year 2100, according to newly published data og:url: https://time.com/5500002/oceans-warming-climate-change-impact/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted1dadcc8b3f35bd/69894310656a3f1636bd6695/gettyimages-665426024.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2119 og:image:height: 1192 og:image:alt: Dead coral reefs in shallow water caused by mass bleacing og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Oceans Are Warming Faster Than We Thought, New Study Says twitter:description: Sea levels could rise 30cm by the year 2100, according to newly published data twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted1dadcc8b3f35bd/69894310656a3f1636bd6695/gettyimages-665426024.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Oceans Are Warming Faster Than We Thought, a New Study Says > Sponsored content. 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There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=0e056fb0-dcce-4db5-ac49-279cb08abeef&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [Kamakshi Ayyar](https://time.com/author/kamakshi-ayyar/) ## Kamakshi Ayyar Jan 11, 2019 5:43 AM UTC  Dead coral reefs in shallow water which were killed during a mass coral bleaching event Dead coral reefs in shallow water which were killed during a mass coral bleaching event Sirachai Arunrugstichai—Getty Images by [Kamakshi Ayyar](https://time.com/author/kamakshi-ayyar/) ## Kamakshi Ayyar Jan 11, 2019 5:43 AM UTC The planet’s oceans are warming a lot quicker than estimated, highlighting the perils of unchecked climate change, according to a new [study](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/363/6423/128). New data published by the journal [_Science_](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/363/6423/128) on Thursday, indicates that ocean temperatures have consistently risen since the 1950s and are rising [40%](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/10/climate/ocean-warming-climate-change.html) faster than calculated by scientists in a 2014 U.N. [report](https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/syr/). According to Lijing Cheng, one of the study’s authors, temperatures down to 2,000 meters rose about [0.1 degree Celsius](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-oceans/oceans-warming-faster-than-expected-set-heat-record-in-2018-scientists-idUSKCN1P42HQ) (0.18F) between 1971-2010, according to Reuters. The fallout could include rising sea levels, destruction of corals, severe weather systems and a decrease in ice sheets and glaciers. According to the study, sea levels could rise by 30cm by the year 2100. The earth’s oceans have absorbed more than [90%](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/12/science/earth/ocean-warming-climate-change.html) of heat caused by greenhouse gases trapped in the atmosphere, according to the New York _Times,_ making them a vital regulator for the planet’s thermostat. However, their role was relatively unnoticed because of insufficient and imprecise data. The new study analyzed earlier published information and data compiled by [Argo](http://www.argo.ucsd.edu/FAQ.html), an international system of nearly 4,000 floats that measures temperature and saline levels in the upper parts of the world’s oceans. The study is the latest in a number of warnings from the scientific community, urging people to change their ways and address global warming. In October 2018, a [report](https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/07/world/climate-change-new-ipcc-report-wxc/index.html) from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated that the planet has only until 2030 to avoid devastating climate change effects. Governments are becoming more aware of their responsibilities, with almost 200 nations pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the [2015 Paris climate accord](http://time.com/5480899/un-climate-talks-rules-leaders/). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5500002/oceans-warming-climate-change-impact/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5500002/oceans-warming-climate-change-impact/"},"headline":"The Oceans Are Warming Faster Than We Thought, a New Study Says","datePublished":"2019-01-11T05:43:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T22:28:33.253Z","description":"Sea levels could rise 30cm by the year 2100, according to newly published data","url":"https://time.com/5500002/oceans-warming-climate-change-impact/","keywords":["climate change","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted1dadcc8b3f35bd/69894310656a3f1636bd6695/gettyimages-665426024.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kamakshi Ayyar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/kamakshi-ayyar/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted1dadcc8b3f35bd/69894310656a3f1636bd6695/gettyimages-665426024.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Dead coral reefs in shallow water caused by mass bleacing","caption":"Dead coral reefs in shallow water caused by mass bleacing","creditText":"Sirachai Arunrugstichai—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/climate-change/","name":"climate change"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5500002/oceans-warming-climate-change-impact/","name":"The Oceans Are Warming Faster Than We Thought, a New Study Says"}}]}] ```