Deep oceans can absorb enough heat to stabilize the effect of global warming for as long as a decade, a study conducted by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) revealed.

‘Missing heat’ had been puzzling researchers for at least past one decade, as greenhouse emissions kept on increasing but global air temperatures didn’t show corresponding signs of increase.

Computer simulations of global climate revealed that the so-called missing heat wasn’t building in the atmosphere, but somewhere else- deep oceans.

The new study showed that ocean layers deeper than 1,000 feet have remained the chief location of the missing heat during periods when global air temperatures showed little increase despite increased greenhouse emissions.

Computer simulations showed that deep oceans warmed by around 18-19 per cent more during the missing heat periods than at other times. However, researchers warned that global warming would resume in a decade or so.

Study’s lead author Gerald Meehl said, “These periods would likely last only about a decade or so, and warming would then resume. This study illustrates one reason why global temperatures do not simply rise in a straight line.”

The study published in the most recent issue of the journal Nature Climate Change.