These days it seems you can't walk through a bookstore without bumping into a book or magazine pointing out the negative consequences of climate chang

Earth's Atmosphere Is Retaining Heat Twice as Fast as It Did Just 15 Years Ago

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2021-07-12 16:00:10

These days it seems you can't walk through a bookstore without bumping into a book or magazine pointing out the negative consequences of climate change. Everything from the hottest years on record to ruining astronomy can be tied to climate change.

Now some new science lays another potential problem at climate change's feet – Earth is retaining more than twice as much heat annually as it was 15 years ago.

A team from NASA and NOAA found that Earth's "energy imbalance" doubled between 2005 and 2019. The energy imbalance is simple to understand but complex in its causes and impacts. It is the difference between the amount of energy absorbed by Earth and the amount of energy emitted by it.

To quantify this change, the team used data from two separate sources – NASA's Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) and a system run by NOAA called Argo. CERES specializes in how much energy is entering and leaving Earth.

Most of the energy entering is in the form of solar radiation, while energy leaving the system could take a variety of forms, including some of that solar radiation bouncing off of white clouds.