City, regional, and national records were shattered by the extreme heat of last summer. The 2023 Northern Hemisphere summer is believed to have been the warmest in 2,000 years, according to experts, in a “alarming discovery.”
The previous summer was the warmest on record, as indicated by global data. The decision was reached by the Copernicus climate change observatory of the European Union. However, a recent study published in Nature on Tuesday conducted an even more extensive analysis, utilizing both observed and reconstructed temperatures from centuries past.
The researchers also noted that the humidity was “unparalleled.”
Their research demonstrated that the Northern Hemisphere experienced the coldest summer in over 2,000 years by more than 0.5 degrees Celsius.
In a press release, Ulf Büntgen, a co-author of the study from the University of Cambridge, stated that the previous year was “exceptionally hot.” However, he also noted that the historical record reveals the actual extent of the heat.
Büntgen observed, “When one considers the extensive scope of history, it is evident that recent global warming is exceedingly severe,” and that this trend will persist until greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced.
In addition, the study compared the temperatures of June, July, and August in 2023 to those of the same months in 536 CE. This year, which one historian referred to as “the beginning of one of the worst periods to be alive, if not the worst year,” initiated the coldest decade in millennia as a result of substantial volcanic eruptions. From the coldest summer to the warmest one
Some individuals maintain that the climate is in a state of perpetual flux, as evidenced by the cold period of 536 CE. However, Jan Esper, the main author from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany, asserted that the ongoing emission of greenhouse gases is the primary factor that truly impacts the situation. The combustion of oil and coal generates gases that capture the sun’s heat in the atmosphere, thereby increasing the average temperature. The impact is further exacerbated when it is combined with natural weather events such as El Niño, which occurs when surface temperatures rise over the Pacific.
Esper cautioned that the duration and severity of heat waves and droughts are increasing. “The comprehensive perspective underscores the urgency of promptly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
For an extended period, experts have advised that Earth must take action to restrict global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Moreover, it is anticipated that the escalating temperatures will result in an increase in droughts, hurricanes, and flooding, which will result in global migration, food scarcity, and other challenges.
However, the researchers in this study discovered that the Northern Hemisphere may have already transcended that threshold, as indicated by the observational record. Last summer’s temperatures in the northern hemisphere were 2.07 degrees Celsius higher than the averages of 1850–1900.
The analysis suggests that the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 ºC has been overridden at this scale, as 2023 was the highest summer ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere extra-tropics.
The scientists noted “inconsistencies” and ambiguities in the baseline temperatures of experts that were used to monitor the rise in temperature. Such concerns were attributed to a lack of station data in remote locations and “inadequately protected thermometers” by researchers.
Their investigations revealed that pre-industrial times were significantly colder than previously believed, even after accounting for protracted cold episodes. In light of this, they identified a temperature disparity of 2.20 degrees Celsius between the previous summer and the current one.
The findings of the researchers are primarily founded on Northern Hemisphere temperatures, as Southern Hemisphere data was scarce during the time periods they examined. The southern half of the planet has a greater number of oceans, which is why it reacts dissimilarly to climate change.
Despite the fact that they were unable to thoroughly reconstruct and analyze global temperatures, the researchers concluded that their research “clearly indicates the unique nature of present-day warmth at vast spatial scales and underscores recommendations for fast action towards net zero emissions.”
As the planet continues to experience consecutive months of heat records, the paper is released. These records have resulted in fatalities. Weather experts have cautioned that the current summer may be as hot as the previous one, with temperatures expected to exceed the norm in the majority of the United States.
