Relevance: GS III (Environment & Science) & GS I (Geography) | Source: The Hindu

1. What is the News?

Recently, a research paper claimed that global warming is a false alarm. The writers argued that the oceans are not actually warming up.

Top climate scientists immediately rejected this claim. They explained exactly how advanced our scientific tools are, proving beyond doubt that the Earth is indeed trapping heat.

2. How Do We Measure Climate?

UPSC loves to ask about environmental satellites and tools. Here are the three most important ones:

Argo Floats: Imagine thousands of robotic machines floating in the oceans across the world. They dive deep (up to 2,000 meters) to constantly measure the water’s temperature and saltiness.

CERES Satellites: These are special NASA satellites. They act like accountants. They calculate how much sunlight enters the Earth and how much heat escapes back into space. The trapped heat is called the Earth’s Energy Imbalance.

GRACE Satellites: These satellites are unique—they measure gravity, not temperature. When massive glaciers melt and extra water flows into the oceans, the Earth’s gravity changes slightly in those areas. GRACE tracks these tiny gravity changes to tell us exactly how much ice has melted.

3. Why Climate Science is 100% True

If you write an essay on climate change, use the concept of “Independent Proofs”.

Climate scientists never rely on just one tool. For example, to prove that sea levels are rising, they use three completely different methods:

• Radar satellites to measure the actual height of the sea.
• GRACE satellites to weigh the newly melted ice water.
• Argo floats to see how much the warm water has physically expanded.

The Result: When scientists combine the melting data (GRACE) with the expansion data (Argo), it perfectly matches the radar height data. Because completely different tools give the exact same result, the science is rock-solid.

The “UPSC Trap”

The “GRACE” Trap: UPSC will try to trick you by saying, “GRACE satellites are used to measure the surface temperature of the oceans.” Incorrect. GRACE measures gravity to track melting ice and water weight.

The “Averaging Heat” Trap: Skeptics (and tricky UPSC statements) might say you cannot simply average out the ocean’s temperature to prove warming. Incorrect. Scientists don’t just look at basic temperature; they calculate total Thermal Energy, which can easily be added up to show massive heating.

UPSC Value Box

Q. With reference to the scientific tools used for global climate monitoring, consider the following statements:

The Argo float network is primarily deployed to measure the temperature and salinity of the world’s oceans.
The GRACE satellites are primarily used to measure the outgoing heat radiation from the top of the Earth’s atmosphere.
The CERES satellite instruments help scientists calculate the Earth’s energy imbalance.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (c)