The year of new climate records
FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2021, photo, emissions rise from the smokestacks at the Jeffrey Energy Center coal power plant as the suns sets, near Emmett, Kans. Climate change is going to get worse, but as gloomy as the latest scientific reports are, including today’s from the United Nations, scientist after scientist stress that curbing global warming is not hopeless. The science says it is not game over for planet Earth or humanity. Action can prevent some of the worst if done soon, they say. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
NOAA has released its annual State of the Climate report for 2023, which was published in the American Meteorological Society. The report is truly sobering. Last year, new global record highs were set for land/ocean combined surface temperature, sea level, ocean heat content and greenhouse gas concentrations.
The early transition from La Niña to a moderate to strong El Niño certainly played a role by enhancing the warmth for last year, but climate change continues to be the main driver.
All seven major global temperature datasets agreed that the last nine years (2015-2023) were the nine warmest on record. The record databases go back to the mid- and late 1800s.
Image courtesy WMO.
The three primary greenhouse gases all reached record highs last year. Compared to pre-industrial levels, atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased by 50 percent, methane has increased by 166 percent and nitrous oxide has risen by 25 percent.
In addition, ocean heat waves set new records for intensity and length during 2023.
Images courtesy ECMWF Copernicus.
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