Are we talking about the temperature above the thermocline or below it?
Well, since I did quote the entire volume of the oceans, I would say I'm talking about the entire depth. I thought this was fairly clear. Perhaps I was wrong.
But:
"The thermal capacity of the mixed layer [top 70-100 metres] implies response times to surface changes on the order of years."
How would you like your hat? Medium, rare, or well done?
Please, give me a break. Is there a more well mixed part of the oceans where the response is short? Of course. I could go finer than you and say that the top 3-4 meters of water has a response time of months (which is true), but it doesn't mean that's the ocean's response time. We're talking about "the oceans".
Let me make this clear for you...... The point was made that the ocean's response time - so the total amount of time for equilbrium to be reached, for the entire ocean, not a subset of the ocean - was on the order of 50 years (with no reference). I called bull$hit on it, and said it was much longer.
Sorry, no hat eating from my end.
