Global temperatures are shattering records as El Niño and climate change compound.
By the end of the week, that new record was tied or broken three more times, peaking on July 6 at 17.23° C (63.01° F). And Earth just experienced its hottest June ever recorded.
This time of year is usually when the average global temperature peaks. But the extraordinary nature of this year’s June and July probably stems from what’s going on in the big blue. Oceans around the world have grown alarmingly warm, thanks in no small part to human-caused climate change, researchers say. And El Niño, the recurring climate pattern known to temporarily heat the planet, has finally returned.
“We’ve really never had this set of circumstances before,” says atmospheric scientist Jennifer Francis of the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Falmouth, Mass. “We’re entering uncharted territory.”
2023-07-13 08:29:26
Article from www.sciencenews.org
