Ocean heat content

Ocean heat content is the heat stored in the ocean water column. It is a climate indicator because the ocean stores most of the excess heat in the Earth system, and changes in stored heat affect sea level, stratification, marine heat stress, and air-sea exchange.^[1]

EO does not measure full-depth heat content directly. Operational estimates combine in-situ temperature profiles with satellite-constrained ocean state variables such as sea level, temperature, and salinity fields, then integrate heat anomalies over depth ranges and regions.^[1][2]

Ocean heat content should be treated as a fused ocean-state and climate-indicator topic. Radar altimetry and harmonised multi-mission records are important inputs, but a clean method-layer row for ocean-state assimilation or heat-content integration is still needed before the methodology axis can be complete.^[3]