A new study published recently in the journal Nature indicates that the ocean is absorbing heat and getting warmer at a much quicker rate than previously estimated. The study indicates that it could be gaining 60% more energy each year than previously documented. This could mean that global climate models are underestimating how much warming is likely to occur in the future. You can read a news story about it and find a link to a more detailed story at Minnesota Public Radio here. This would have big impacts on how the rate of sea level rise is calculated as well, since about 50% of current sea level rise is due to increases in volume from warmer water (the other half is from melting ice).
