February can break an unprecedented number of heat records – scientists – News
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February can break an unprecedented number of heat records
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February could break an unprecedented number of heat records due to global warming and the development of El Niño, a natural phenomenon that causes the planet to heat up.
In the shortest month of the year, the surge in warming has become so noticeable that climate maps are entering new “territory”, especially the temperature of the sea surface, which has increased to such an extent that experts-watchers are trying to explain how these changes are happening, writes The Guardian.
“The planet is heating up at an accelerated rate. We are witnessing a sharp increase in the temperature of the ocean, the largest reservoir of heat”says Dr. Joel Hirschi, deputy head of marine systems modeling at Britain’s National Oceanographic Centre.
According to Berkeley scientist Zeke Hausfazer, humanity is experiencing the hottest February in human history, following record-warming January, December, November, October, September, August, July, June and May.
The rise in temperatures in recent weeks suggests they are 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels, he said, although this may be a short-lived effect of El Niño.
February 2024 became the hottest in the entire history of observations
“I’d say February 2024 has every chance of breaking the previous record set in 2016, but that’s not a foregone conclusion as weather models show global temperatures will drop again next week“, says Hausfazer.
According to Maximiliano Herrera, who blogs about extreme temperatures around the world, 12 weather stations in Morocco recorded temperatures above 33.9°C, not only a national record for the hottest day of winter, but also more than 5 degrees above the average for July .
Herrera adds: in the first half of this month, 140 countries have broken monthly heat records.
Climatologists note that temperature jumps were expected, although their amplitude was a surprise.
A strong El Niño caused the temperature rise, but Francesca Guglielmo, a senior scientist at Europe’s Copernicus programme, said it was only one of several factors working in tandem.
Every additional ton of carbon dioxide emitted by mankind increases the pressure on the oceans.
Sea surface temperatures in 2024 exceed previous records by a huge margin
El Niño is now weakening, which should lower temperatures in the equatorial Pacific from late spring to early summer. If the North Atlantic remains warm during this time, it could herald intense hurricane activity, scientists warn.
Such risks will increase every year if we do not reduce human carbon emissions and stop deforestation. And the sooner we start acting, the easier it will be for us to avoid trouble, scientists emphasize.
We will remind you that September 2023 became the warmest on Earth in the entire history of observations. And during July 2023, scientists recorded the highest air temperature in the entire history of observations.
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