Science
July 2023 May Be Hottest Month in Centuries, Says NASA Expert
Earth (Pic Via Twitter)
July 2023 is expected to be the hottest month the world has experienced in centuries, if not millennia, according to top NASA climatologist Gavin Schmidt.
The records for daily temperatures have already been shattered this month, according to tools run by the European Union and the University of Maine.
These institutions utilise a combination of ground and satellite data to create models and generate preliminary estimates.
Schmidt further emphasised that unprecedented changes are occurring worldwide.
Heatwaves in the United States, Europe, and China are breaking records at an alarming rate.
"We are seeing unprecedented changes all over the world -- the heat waves that we're seeing in the US in Europe and in China are demolishing records, left, right and center," he said, reports NDTV.
What's more, the effects cannot be solely attributed to the emergence of the El Nino weather pattern.
Although the El Nino is playing a small role, the overall warmth is evident almost everywhere, especially in the oceans.
Record-breaking sea surface temperatures have been observed for many months, even outside of the tropics, he said.
Although there are slight variations between the data from different sources, the unmistakable trend of extreme heat is evident.
Schmidt stated in a NASA briefing with reporters that this trend will likely be confirmed in the more comprehensive monthly reports to be released by US agencies.
Furthermore, the continuous increase in greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere is a significant factor contributing to the ongoing warming trend.
This suggests that the current situation is likely to persist, further increasing the chances of 2023 becoming the hottest year on record.
Schmidt estimates a "50-50 chance" based on his calculations, while other scientists have placed the probability as high as 80 percent.
"But we anticipate that 2024 will be an even warmer year, because we're going to be starting off with that El Nino event that's building now, and that will peak towards the end of this year," Schmidt said.
Schmidt's warnings come as the world has been buffeted by fires and dire health warnings in the past week, in addition to broken temperature records.
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