MOHeaCAN - Ocean heat content (OHC) and earth energy imbalance (EEI)
The Ocean Heat Content (OHC) change can be estimated directly from net ocean surface heat fluxes measured based on CERES space measurements, from in situ data observed by the ARGO floats or from ocean model reanalyses. We estimate here the OHC change from an innovative approach which, for the first time, combines in situ, altimetric and gravimetric data using an inverse method. The integration of ARGO in situ data allows the vertical distribution of heat to be constrained down to 1,000 m, thereby resolving the ambiguities of the geodetic approach. By minimising the residuals between the in situ OHC and the geodetic OHC and applying objective mapping techniques, the method produces consistent OHC fields accompanied by associated uncertainty estimates. This space geodetic approach provides consistent spatial and temporal sampling of the ocean. It samples nearly the entire global oceans, except in polar regions where the sea is completely covered by sea ice (i.e. essentially north of 80°N), and it provides estimates of the OHC variations over the ocean’s entire depth. The Earth energy imbalance (EEI) indicator is derived from the temporal variations of the ocean heat content, i.e. by calculating its temporal derivative (called the ocean heat uptake (GOHU), see figure). Energy uptakes from the land, cryosphere and atmosphere reservoirs represent about 10% of the EEI and are taken into account.
Users will be mainly interested in:
- global ocean heat content change time series
- global ocean heat uptake time series
- Earth energy imbalance time series (that corresponds to Global Ocean Heat Uptake "GOHU" multiplied by a factor 0.91)
- the uncertainties associated with these datasets. All data used to calculate the indicators are given in full transparency.
Data and resources
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Accès authentifiéHTML Open
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Manuel utilisateurPDF Open
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HTML Open
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ATBD (Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document)PDF Open
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Ablain et al., OSTST 2022: Monitoring the Ocean Heat Content change and the Earth Energy Imbalance from Space Altimetry and Gravimetry missionsHTML Open
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Ablain, M., Meyssignac, B., Zawadzki, L., Jugier, R., Ribes, A., Spada, G., Benveniste, J., Cazenave, A. and Picot, N. (2019) Uncertainty in satellite estimates…HTML Open
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Ablain, M., Meyssignac, B., Zawadzki, L., Jugier, R., Ribes, A., Spada, G., Benveniste, J., Cazenave, A. and Picot, N. (2019) Uncertainty in satellite estimates…HTML Open
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Horwath, M., Gutknecht, B. D., Cazenave, A., Palanisamy, H. K., Marti, F., Marzeion, B., Paul, F., Le Bris, R., Hogg, A. E., Otosaka, I., Shepherd, A., Döll,…HTML Open
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Marti, F., Blazquez, A., Meyssignac, B., Ablain, M., Barnoud, A., Fraudeau, R., Jugier, R., Chenal, J., Larnicol, G., Pfeffer, J., Restano, M., and Benveniste,…HTML Open
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Meyssignac, B., Boyer, T., Zhao, Z., Hakuba, M. Z., Landerer, F. W., Stammer, D., Köhl, A., Kato, S., L’Ecuyer, T., Ablain, M., Abraham, J. P., Blazquez, A.,…HTML Open
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Marti, F., Meyssignac, B., Rousseau, V., Ablain, M., Fraudeau, R., Blazquez, A., and Fourest, S.: Monitoring global ocean heat content from space geodetic…HTML Open
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HTML Open
Additional information
| Temporal extent | 2004-01-01 – 2025-04-15 |
|---|---|
| Date (publication) | 2020-12-15 |
| Date (lastUpdate) | 2026-06-05 |
| Status | completed |
| Update frequency | asNeeded |
| Metadata language | fr |
| License | CC-BY (Creative Commons - Attribution) |
| Source metadata | ISO 19115 XML |
| Last updated | 2026-11-04 |
| Created | 2026-11-04 |
| API | package_show |