| Session Details | |
| Section | OS - Ocean Sciences |
| Session Title | Ocean Heat Content, Deep Layer Warming And Possible Surface Warming Slowdown |
| Main Convener | Prof. Xiao-Hai Yan (University of Delaware, United States) |
| Co-convener(s) | Prof. X. San Liang (Nanjing Institute of Meteorology, China) Dr. Lei Zhou (State Oceanic Administration, China) Dr. Qing Dong (nstitute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, CAS, China) Dr. Wei Zhuang (Xiamen University, China) |
| Session Description | The ocean plays a major role in storing transient energy imbalances in the climate system – both forced and as a result of natural variability. The recent heated debate on the possible global surface warming slowdown highlights the need for improving our understanding of mechanisms that control ocean heat content, deeper layer warming and this possible surface warming slowdown. This session invites contributions exploring the ocean’s role in the Earth's heat budget in general and the global surface warming slowdown in particular. Topics of particular interest include interdecadal variability and the interaction with climate change, radiative forcing and related processes, ocean heat storage inferred from observations and/or models, gaps in the current global ocean observing systems and implied uncertainties in recent ocean heat content change estimates, and deeper ocean warming as relevant to this global surface warming slowdown. |