Global warming likely to be slower than earlier predicted

London, May 20 (ANI): Scientists have said that the recent downturn in the rate of global warming will lead to lower temperature rises in the short-term.

Since 1998, there has been an unexplained "standstill" in the heating of the Earth's atmosphere.

Dr Alexander Otto from the University of Oxford and colleagues said that this will reduce predicted warming in the coming decades.

But long-term, the expected temperature rises will not alter significantly, the BBC reported.

The researchers said that the difference between the lower short-term estimate and the more consistent long-term picture can be explained by the fact that the heat from the last decade has been absorbed into and is being stored by the world's oceans.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Geoscience. (ANI)