High Temperature Records
The year 2023 has been marked by unprecedented high-temperature records. The rising global temperature graphs this year showed that numbers were higher than ever in many places around the world, with a remarkably large deviation from the normal average. These records have astonished climate scientists and their trusted colleagues. By the end of November, the high global temperatures over several months indicated that 2023 is set to become the hottest year on Earth since records began about 150 years ago. The nonprofit group “Climate Central” notes that the 12-month period from November 2022 to October 2023 is officially the highest recorded of its kind – a record likely to be broken in 2024.
Severe Heatwaves and Catastrophic Fires
Many regions experienced severe heatwaves, leading to catastrophic fires. Ocean temperatures were unprecedentedly high, with global average sea surface temperatures reaching record levels throughout the year. In the waters surrounding Antarctica, sea ice plummeted to new low levels. These records bear the fingerprints of climate change caused by human activity, according to the international scientific group “World Weather Attribution.” Climate changes have made the occurrence of severe heatwaves in North America, Southern Europe, and Northern Africa more than hundreds of times more likely, while a similar event in China was 50 times more likely. Climate changes were the primary reason behind the harsh winter and heatwave in South America, making this event at least a hundred times more probable. On social media, many climate scientists who shared stunning screenshots of temperature deviations in 2023 have found it difficult to find words to explain them.
Rising Global Temperatures
From January to September, the average global surface air temperature was about 1.1 degrees Celsius higher than the 20th-century average of 14.1 degrees Celsius. The months of June, July, August, September, and October were the hottest ever recorded for those months – with September being hotter than the July average from 2001 to 2010. Although the year is not over yet, temperatures so far indicate that there is more than a 99 percent likelihood that 2023 will be the hottest year in recorded history, according to the National Environmental Information Centers in the United States.
The Impact of High Heat on Health
High temperatures have exacerbated the wildfire problem. In recent years, hot nights have become warmer than days in many parts of the world. This is concerning because when nights are hot, the body loses the opportunity to recover from the daytime heat. Additionally, elevated temperatures during sleep reduce both the quantity and quality of sleep. Data analyses have shown that high temperatures negatively affect sleep, with total sleep duration decreasing by an average of 44 hours per person annually. With the extreme heat in 2023, it can be expected that this summer has led to an even greater reduction in sleep hours.
Massive Fires
High temperatures have sparked massive fires in many parts of the world. In the Northern Hemisphere, heat contributed to a fire in Greece, which became the largest fire recorded in the European Union. In Hawaii, a fire destroyed a large part of the town of Lahaina and resulted in the death of at least 99 people, making it the deadliest fire in the United States since 1918. In the Southern Hemisphere, warm winters have assisted in the spread of fires in many areas, including Argentina and the Amazon rainforest. In Australia, an unusual heatwave helped to start the fire season early. By August, about 70 fires had been reported in New South Wales, the most populated state in the country, two months before the official start of the fire season in that state.
Decline
Sea Ice in Antarctica
In recent years, there has been a decline in the rate of sea ice loss in the Arctic, while sea ice in Antarctica has fluctuated more randomly between increase and decrease. However, in recent years, satellite data has shown an increase in the rate of sea ice loss in Antarctica. In 2023, sea ice in Antarctica significantly decreased. The sea ice extent was close to its all-time low for most of the year. In February, a record low minimum ice extent was recorded. By the end of July, at the peak of winter, the sea ice was more than 2.6 million square kilometers below the average for the period from 1981 to 2010. On September 10, the annual maximum sea ice extent reached about 17 million square kilometers. This is nearly one million square kilometers less than the previous maximum in 1986. These figures are “far beyond anything observed in the modern satellite record for 45 years,” according to Mark Serreze, a climate scientist and director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center in the United States.
Preparing for a More Challenging Future
It has become more apparent than ever that climate change caused by human activity is not just a problem for tomorrow. “We are standing in the wake of one of the largest waves in the climate system in modern history,” according to Keilton Minor, a data scientist at Columbia University. We must also prepare for larger waves to come. It is important to raise awareness about the risks and invest in more interventions such as cooling centers and urban green spaces. “No one needs to die, and this is not like someone experiencing a sudden flood,” according to Kristie Ebi, a climate and health researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/climate-heat-hottest-year-record-2023
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