Study indicates climate change clock forward a decade

Sclerosponge records indicate human-induced global warming began earlier than previously thought. (HANDOUT/UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA)

A tiny sea sponge that lives for hundreds of years could prove global warming has raised temperatures for longer than previously projected.

Scientists have found that sclerosponges found in Caribbean waters grow for up to 300 years and possess an internal geochemical thermometer.