The Ocean Heat Content Climate Data Record (CDR) is a set of ocean heat content anomaly (OHCA) time-series for 1955–present on 3-monthly, yearly, and pentadal (five-yearly) scales. This CDR quantifies ocean heat content change over time, which is an essential metric for understanding climate change and the Earth’s energy budget. It provides time-series for multiple depth ranges in the global ocean and each of the major basins (Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian) divided by hemisphere (Northern, Southern).
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Principal Investigator
Tim Boyer, NOAA/NCEI
Project Page
Global Ocean Heat and Salt Content
Depth Ranges
- 0-700 meters: Most heat sequestration occurs in the 0–700m range. This range also correlates to the depth range of the expendable bathythermograph (XBT), the primary method for measuring subsurface ocean temperatures from 1967–2002.
- 0-2000m: The depth range of Argo floats, which replaced XBTs in 2003 as the dominant instrument for subsurface measurements and continue to be the modern standard.
Citation
Cite dataset when used as a source. See the dataset's DOI landing page for citation details at doi:10.7289/V53F4MVP.