Climate change presses on, reshaping the planet. July last year stood out as the hottest July in 174 years, a judgment drawn from data gathered by the National Centers for Environmental Information within NOAA. A 50 percent probability existed that 2023 would become the hottest year on record, according to scientific assessments.
The figures alarm climatologists. For the fourth consecutive month, global ocean surface temperatures reached new highs; Antarctica showed historically low sea ice, while sea ice extent remained at record lows for a third straight month. South America experienced a July with the sharpest temperature anomaly ever recorded, exceeding the average by 2.19°C.
Meanwhile, Don played a notable role in the Atlantic hurricane season for ten days, adding to the season’s intensity with a subtropical storm that stood out for its duration.
The global land surface temperature in July averaged 1.12°C above the long-term mean, a record in NOAA’s archives dating back to 1849.
Researchers note that July, a climatically hot month, may also reflect a broader pattern. NOAA scientists point out that the year could set multiple heat-related records in historic analyses.
In July of the previous year, the global average temperature rose by about 1 degree above the long-term average, with July 2021 holding a prior record by roughly 0.2°C.
gloomy prospects
The steady rise in planetary temperatures is underscored by the fact that July marked the 47th and 533rd consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th century average.
Additionally, global ocean temperatures remained at record highs for a fourth month, with El Niño conditions persisting since June.
July 2023 set a new world record for the highest monthly sea surface temperature anomaly, indicating how much warmer or cooler temperatures are relative to long-term monthly norms in NOAA’s climate records. The anomaly reached 0.99°C above the mean.
The outlook appeared grim: on July 13, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center stated that El Niño was more than 95 percent likely to continue through the northern hemisphere winter.
The first seven months of 2023 ranked as the third warmest on record, with global temperatures about 1.03°C above the 20th century average of 13.8°C.
According to NOAA’s analyses, 2023 was almost certain to be among the five warmest years on record, with a near 50 percent chance of being the hottest year in history.
Sea ice at record level
Sea ice coverage reached a record-low in July, the smallest July extent ever recorded. Globally, July 2023 saw roughly 1.2 million square kilometers less sea ice than the previous July 2019 record, a figure comparable to the size of South Africa or more than twice the area of Spain.
Antarctic sea ice stayed at a record low for a third month in a row, sitting about 2.6 million square kilometers below the 1991-2020 average and about 1.5 million square kilometers below the prior July 2022 low.
Meanwhile, Arctic sea ice in July 2023 ranked as the 12th smallest on satellite records, about 570,000 square kilometers below the 1991-2020 average, an area larger than that of France.
Storm activity showed a toward-average tropical region picture, with eight storms recorded worldwide during the month, close to the 1991-2020 average of 9.6, and seven attaining hurricane strength or higher.
The signals strongly hint that temperatures will rise further. US scientists have confirmed NOAA’s findings and warned that 2024 could be hotter than this year, with El Niño anticipated to drive many of the effects.
July 2023 Climate Report: https: //www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/global/202307
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