A new study has confirmed what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration originally found in 2015 – the oceans are warming at nearly twice the rate we originally thought.
After publishing their findings in 2015, the NOAA was immediately attacked by members of the GOP. GOP members of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, headed by Rep. Lamar Smith, opened an investigation into the conclusions. According to Smith, “NOAA has failed to fully explain the conditions surrounding its process and procedures for adjusting upward temperature readings that eliminated the ‘pause’ in global warming.”
Smith specifically attacked Thomas Karl, lead author of the original study, and attempted to impugn his credibility.
When the NOAA scientists recalculated the ocean’s warming they found that over the past 18 years ocean temperatures have increased 0.22°F (0.12° C) per decade. Originally it was believe that the oceans were warming by .13°F (0.07° C) per decade.