Ocean temperature

Ocean temperature measures how hot or cold seawater is. It varies with depth, location, season, and the movement of ocean water.

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Sea surface temperature: The temperature of water at or near the ocean surface. It captures the ocean layer most directly warmed by sunlight and exchanged with the atmosphere.
Ocean heat content: The heat stored in ocean water over a specified area and depth. It combines temperature measurements with depth to track the ocean’s accumulated warming.
Temperature: A physical quantity that describes the thermal state of matter and determines the direction of heat transfer. Ocean temperature is a measurement of this general physical property in seawater.
Ocean warming: The long-term increase in the ocean’s average temperature, driven mainly by accumulated greenhouse-gas-driven heat. It describes the sustained upward shift in ocean temperature as the climate warms.
Seasonal cycle: A recurring pattern of change within a year driven by seasonal variations in sunlight and other factors. Seasonal temperature swings recur and differ from a persistent long-term warming trend.
Thermocline: A layer in which water temperature decreases rapidly with depth. It marks the sharp vertical transition between warm surface water and colder deep water.
Argo (oceanography): An international array of autonomous floats that measures ocean conditions, including temperature and salinity. Its profiling floats provide widespread measurements below the surface.
Potential temperature: The temperature a fluid parcel would have if moved adiabatically to a reference pressure. Oceanographers use it to compare water parcels without pressure effects distorting temperature.
Thermal expansion: The increase in a material’s volume as its temperature rises. Warming expands seawater and contributes to global mean sea-level rise.
Global warming: The long-term rise in Earth’s average surface temperature, primarily caused by human greenhouse-gas emissions. Ocean warming is a major part of this broader planetary temperature change.