Alarming NASA Discovery Shows Earth Traps 2x More Heat From 2005

An analysis from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has shown that Earth is now trapping in twice the amount of heat in the atmosphere compared to how it did 15 years ago.

Researchers have found that the amount of excess energy now being kept on the planet has doubled and has already caused a number of consequences, including a further increase in temperatures in oceans, air and land, CNN reported.

"It's excess energy that's being taken up by the planet, so it's going to mean further increases in temperatures and more melting of snow and sea ice, which will cause sea level rise — all things that society really cares about," said Norman Loeb, a NASA scientist and lead author of the study.

The study was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. According to the researchers, the result was "striking" and should not be taken lightly.

Because the sun's energy is needed to sustain life on Earth, heat plays a vital role in the processes that take place on the planet. However, a delicate balance is needed to take care of Earth's climate.

"We're going to be seeing shifts in atmospheric circulations including more extreme events like droughts," Loeb warned.

Approximately 90% of the sun's energy now ends up in the world's oceans, significantly harming marine biodiversity as ocean temperatures continue to rise. According to the researchers, the increase in the Earth's ability to trap heat is mostly attributed to human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

"It's man-made change that's shifting the composition of the atmosphere, as well as fluctuations in the climate systems," Loeb said. "The observations are all kind of blended together."

Although Loeb and his team have only studied the trend from 2005 to 2019, they are positive that the result of the research provides a good snapshot of the possible consequences to come due to the changes in climate.

The researchers added that the amount of heat trapped in the planet should drop, otherwise climate change will continue to get worse.

"My hope is the rate that we're seeing this energy imbalance subsides in the coming decades," Loeb said. "Otherwise, we're going to see more alarming climate changes."