Slide the timeline to see how the absorption rate evolves from 1980 to 2026. Each pulse in the simulation = 62.76 TJ absorbed by the ocean.
This page:the slider updates the curve, indicators and simulation. Each pulse = 62.76 TJ absorbed by the ocean, at the equivalent average pace of the selected year.
Mean rate over 20 years (trend)11.7 ZJ/yr± 8 ZJ2025 change (displayed series): +22.9 ZJ; Pan et al.: about +23 ± 8 ZJ from 2024 to 2025 · record heat content
Primary source: IAP/CAS (Pan et al. 2026, 2024→2025 gain). Compare NOAA/NCEI and Copernicus → Methods § products.
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198019902000201020202026
Main curve: 20-year rolling slope (least squares) through 2020; annual changes are shown from 2021 onward. The jump between them reflects a change in method.
Cumulative heat stored · 0–2,000 m
Net stock increase in the upper 2,000 m since 2005 (NOAA/NCEI). It does not separately show exchanges with the atmosphere, ice or land. The deep ocean (2,000–6,000 m) also gained 1.16 ± 0.24 ZJ/yr on average over 1970–2025 (WMO).
Energy budget: net input and reservoirs
Positive EEI · net energy accumulating in the Earth system
↓
Ocean · 91%Upper-ocean and deep-ocean heat content
Land · 5%
Cryosphere · 3%
Atmosphere · 1%
Internal two-way exchanges: ocean ↔ atmosphere · cryosphere · land. These transfers cancel in the global budget; this is a conceptual diagram, not measured flow rates.
Physical signals linked to accelerated surface heat storage — qualitative indicators, not direct measurements on this page. Methodological detail →
Thermosteric expansion High
Accumulated heat expands surface water: sea level rises even without glacier melt.
Stratification / asphyxiation Strengthened
Warm, lighter water floats above cold deep water: less vertical mixing, less oxygen to the depths.
Deoxygenation High
Less vertical mixing limits oxygen supply to the depths, a risk for marine life and biogeochemical cycles.
What after 2025?
Even if anthropogenic CO₂ emissions were set to zero, heat already stored in the ocean would keep propagating — inertia does not vanish in a few years.
2025: the displayed series gives a gain of 22.9 ZJ (~11.6 bombs/s). Pan et al. (2026) report about +23 ± 8 ZJ from 2024 to 2025. Ocean heat content reaches another record.
20-year trend: ~5.9 bombs/s, i.e. ~511,000 per day. The year 2025 alone brought almost twice as much.