WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Studies of ocean temperatures show clear signs of global warming, climate experts said Thursday at an annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Studies of ocean temperatures show clear signs of global warming, climate experts said Thursday at an annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

    The analysis of millions of temperature readings made by US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show a steady ocean warming, Tim Barnett of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography told a news conference.

    According to him, further study by his team using US government models of solar warming and volcanic warming suggests that the ocean warming was not a product of Nature itself but came as a result of human activities.

    He said the study used new computer climate models based on ocean temperatures instead of air temperatures, which are weak because global warming is at present not much reflected in them.

    The scientists said the debate now is what people should do about global warming rather than whether or not there is a global warming signal, referring to the stated doubts about the latter by the US government.

    The George W. Bush administration has used the doubts as one of the justifications for its nonparticipation in the 141-member Kyoto Protocol on curbing global warming through limits on greenhouse gas emissions. The UN-backed treaty took effect on Wednesday. Enditem