HEAT ABSORPTION BY COMPONENTS OF THE EARTH SYSTEM
FIGURE 14.25 When climate scientists inventory the absorption of heat as Earth warms, they find that the oceans are overwhelmingly the major absorber of heat energy. This is because the oceans cover a large area and encompass a very large volume of water, which has a high capacity for heat storage. (Data from State of the Climate Highlights, www.ncdc.noaa.gov/