Planet endures record-hot April, as scientists warn 2024 could beat heat records for second year in a row

by | May 7, 2024 | Science

Extraordinary global heat continues its streak. Last month, the world endured the hottest April on record, according to new data from Copernicus, the European Union’s climate monitoring service.It marks 11 consecutive months of unprecedented global temperatures. With that new data point, some scientists warn there is a strong chance 2024 could beat 2023 as the warmest year on record.Last month was 1.58 degrees Celsius warmer than the average April in the era before industrialization and 0.67 degrees above the average April between 1991 and 2020, Copernicus found.The impacts have been stark. Swaths of Asia have been grappling with deadly heat: schools were closed for millions of children in Bangladesh, rice fields have shriveled in Vietnam, and people in India battled 110 degree Fahrenheit temperatures to vote in recent elections.Global ocean heat in April was also record-breaking for the 13th consecutive month. Ocean surface temperatures reached 21.04 degrees, the highest on record for any April, and just a fraction below the overall record set in March, according to Copernicus data.The impact on marine systems is devastating. A mass coral bleaching event occurred this spring, which scientists said at the time could be the worst on record. A camel crosses the road on a hot day in Barmer, Rajasthan, India, April 26, 2024. – Adnan Abidi/Reuters A student doing school work at home in front of a fan following the suspension of in-person classes because of the heat, in Manila, Philippines, April 26, 2024. – Lisa Marie David/ReutersUnprecedented global heat is being driven by the long-term trend of global warming — mainly caused by humans burning fossil fuels — boosted by El Niño, a natural climate pattern that tends to have a warming impact.El Niño is now weakening, but it’s not surprising the world is still seeing unprecedented heat, said Zeke Hausfather, climate research lead at Stripe and research scientist at Berkeley Earth.The year after El Niño peaks is us …

Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source

[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnExtraordinary global heat continues its streak. Last month, the world endured the hottest April on record, according to new data from Copernicus, the European Union’s climate monitoring service.It marks 11 consecutive months of unprecedented global temperatures. With that new data point, some scientists warn there is a strong chance 2024 could beat 2023 as the warmest year on record.Last month was 1.58 degrees Celsius warmer than the average April in the era before industrialization and 0.67 degrees above the average April between 1991 and 2020, Copernicus found.The impacts have been stark. Swaths of Asia have been grappling with deadly heat: schools were closed for millions of children in Bangladesh, rice fields have shriveled in Vietnam, and people in India battled 110 degree Fahrenheit temperatures to vote in recent elections.Global ocean heat in April was also record-breaking for the 13th consecutive month. Ocean surface temperatures reached 21.04 degrees, the highest on record for any April, and just a fraction below the overall record set in March, according to Copernicus data.The impact on marine systems is devastating. A mass coral bleaching event occurred this spring, which scientists said at the time could be the worst on record. A camel crosses the road on a hot day in Barmer, Rajasthan, India, April 26, 2024. – Adnan Abidi/Reuters A student doing school work at home in front of a fan following the suspension of in-person classes because of the heat, in Manila, Philippines, April 26, 2024. – Lisa Marie David/ReutersUnprecedented global heat is being driven by the long-term trend of global warming — mainly caused by humans burning fossil fuels — boosted by El Niño, a natural climate pattern that tends to have a warming impact.El Niño is now weakening, but it’s not surprising the world is still seeing unprecedented heat, said Zeke Hausfather, climate research lead at Stripe and research scientist at Berkeley Earth.The year after El Niño peaks is us …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
Share This