Oceanic Heat Content (OHC)
1. Would it remain feasible to verify and validate the variations in the effective radiative forcings of the earth resulting from enhancement in greenhouse gases and the increase in aerosol concentrations; and also resulting from the variations in Milankovitch cycles (solar activity: eccentricity/obliquity/precession); cirrus clouds (variations in cloud cover reflectivity); albedo effects (variations in snow cover reflectivity) and volcanic changes?
In other words, do we have a clear global energy balance of earth’s climate considering multi-physics having multiple spatial and temporal scales?
2. Can we precisely estimate the fraction of stored energy in the ocean – between any given specific time-period - from the total energy inflow that remains absorbed within the climate system, given the fact that there is an apparent decadal oscillation in upper-ocean heat storage, along with the presence of biases and uncertainties in OHC resulting from sparse vertical sampling in conjunction with the curvature of the temperature profile with depth?
3. Was there ocean heat content enhancement prior to 1990?
The earth-atmosphere energy balance is the balance between incoming energy from the Sun and outgoing energy from the Earth. Energy released from the Sun is emitted as shortwave light and ultraviolet energy. Earth's energy budget depends on many factors, such as atmospheric aerosols, greenhouse gases, surface albedo, clouds, and land use patterns. When the incoming and outgoing energy fluxes are in balance, Earth is in radiative equilibrium and the climate system will be relatively stable. Solar radiation is the fundamental energy driving our climate system, and nearly all climatic and biologic processes on Earth are dependent on solar input. Energy from the sun is essential for many processes on Earth including warming of the surface, evaporation, photosynthesis and atmospheric circulation.Without some other types of energy exchange beside radiation between the Earth's surface and the atmosphere, we would expect that the Earth's surface would be warming (energy in > energy out) and the Earth's atmosphere would be cooling (energy out > energy in). Solar energy is the energy that the Earth receives from the Sun. This energy is the primary driving force of the Earth's climate and weather patterns. The Sun provides the energy that powers the Earth's water cycle, which in turn drives weather patterns like wind, storms, and precipitation. As for where the most energy is stored in Earth's climate system, it is primarily stored in the oceans. The oceans act as a massive heat reservoir and can store a tremendous amount of thermal energy. The process of ocean heat absorption and storage is crucial in regulating the Earth's climate.
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