German scientists said temporary climate variations may temporarily offset the long-term global warming trend.

Researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology said computer simulations and measurements of ocean temperatures suggest that global warming will weaken slightly during the the next decade.

The findings are published in the journal Nature.

"Just to make things clear: we are not stating that anthropogenic climate change won't be as bad as previously thought," Mojib Latif of the Leibniz Institute said in a statement. "What we are saying is that on top of the warming trend there is a long-periodic oscillation that will probably lead to a lower temperature increase than we would expect from the current trend during the next years."

Johann Jungclaus of the Max Planck Institute described the trend as similar to "driving from the coast to a mountainous area and crossing some hills and valleys before you reach the top."