Perhaps it does, but I would suggest that there still must be a considerable amount of thermal energy that conducts downwards from that warmer layer to the colder thermocline in non-polar regions. (judithcurry.com)
A slight change of ocean temperature (after a delay caused by the high specific heat of water, the annual mixing of thermocline waters with deeper waters in storms) ensures that rising CO2 reduces infrared absorbing H2O vapour while slightly increasing cloud cover (thus Earth's albedo), as evidenced by the fact that the NOAA data from 1948 - 2008 shows a fall in global humidity (not the positive feedback rise presumed by NASA's models!) (delingpoleworld.com)