Conveners: Karina von Schuckmann, Tim Boyer, Leijing Cheng, Andrea Storto

The ocean’s capacity to store heat and to redistribute it geographically and over depth is fundamental to understanding Earth’s climate and sea level variability and change. More than 90% of the Earth Energy Imbalance and about one-third of observed global mean sea level rise are explained by ocean heat uptake. This session aims to bring together studies tracking ocean heat content and thermos-steric sea level and its implications for climate and sea level variability and change, from global to regional scales. We welcome studies based on in situ and satellite observing systems, ocean or coupled reanalyses, climate modelling as well as process studies. Studies focusing on the ocean’s role in the Earth energy imbalance, climate sensitivity and regional changes associated to natural climate modes of variability are also solicited.