This photo provided by NOAA Corps shows the deploying an Argo float to capture ocean temperature data.

(NOAA Corps, Lt. Elizabeth Crapo via AP)

At a Glance

A new study finds that the world's oceans are storing 13 percent more heat than previously thought.Since 1990, significant amounts ofheathave begun to seep deeper into the ocean layers, the researchers found.

The oceans are storing 13 percent more heat than previously thought, a new study says, which may helpexplain an increase in mass coral bleachings andincidences of King Tides.

Researchers for a studywanted to test out a new methodology to improve the reliability of previous data that analyzed howocean temperatureshave changed since 1960. They found out that the method was, indeed, more reliable than expected.

The team,led by Lijing Cheng of the Chinese Academy of Science, compared data generated from the new method to estimates published in the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2013 and found a significant discrepancy.

"In other words, the planet is warming quite a lot more than we thought,"NCAR scientist Kevin Trenberth, a study co-author, .

Scientists have long known that excess heat trapped on Earth collects primarily in the ocean is linked to . In fact, , according to oceanscientists.org.

The accuracy of sea-level temperatureshas been challenged in the past, however, because of the scarcity and older methods of observation.

Previously, the temperature of ocean waters was measured off ships, but that was limiting because scientists had to rely on where the ships traveled and the depth from which temperatures could be taken.

More recently, improved techniques, including the deployment of 3,500 free-floating Argo floats have enabled scientists to take measurements from thearound the globe and at a depth of up to 6,562 feet, which allows for more accurate readings.

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The study usesa new methodology that employs both the recent Argo measurements andpast observations from ships to produce more reliable estimates from 1960 to 2015.

"The results were remarkable," Trenberth said. "They give us much more confidence about what the ocean heat content was, stretching back to the late 1950s."

Trenberth said the new estimates help to explain the global sea-level rises that scientists have been unable to explain until now.

A portion of sea-level rise can be attributed to , while the rest can be explained by melting glaciers.

Scientists have been able to measure how much melting ice is reaching the oceans, but it has proven more difficult to measure how much of the sea rise can be attributed to warming waters.

“This actually fills in the gap,” Trenberth .

Rising sea temperatures are believed to be a major cause ofthat’s occurred worldwide, as well as , which cause tidal flooding in numerous coastal cities.

NCAR scientist and co-author John Fasullo noted in the press release that the study also shows thatimprovedobservations, techniquesand models are providing scientists with a better picture of how the Earth has evolved.

"Science not only looks toward the futurebut is also continually trying to make sense of the past," he said. "This work is an example of how advances in technology have enabled an improved understanding of past changes in the ocean, where variability has always been a bit of an enigma due to its vastness and depth. The insights associated with this work change not only our understanding of past climate but also how future changes might unfold."

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