The planet continues to warm. The average temperature of the land and ocean surface exceeded the 20th century average of 13.9 degrees Celsius (57 Fahrenheit) by 0.86 degrees Celsius (1.55 Fahrenheit) in 2022. NASA and NOAA say it is the sixth warmest year on record.
The scientists point out that the trend of global warmingdespite efforts to reverse it. The report prepared by the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) was released in a teleconference by officials of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA.
The document reveals that 2022 was the 46th consecutive year (since 1977) with global temperatures above the 20th century average. While 10 warmest years have been recorded since 2010, including the last 9 years (2014-2022).
“This warming trend is alarming,” said Bill Nelson, NASA administrator. “Our increasingly hot weather is already making its mark – wildfires are intensifying. Hurricanes are getting stronger. Droughts are wreaking havoc and sea levels are rising. At NASA we are strengthening our commitment to help address climate change.”
It also highlights that the surface temperature of the northern hemisphere was also the sixth highest on record last year. With 1.10 degrees Celsius (1.98 °F) above average. Meanwhile, the southern hemisphere’s temperature was the seventh warmest of the 143 years analysed, at 0.61 degrees Celsius (1.10 °F) above average.
Global ocean heat content (OHC), an indicator of heat stored in the upper 2,000 meters of the ocean, reached a record in 2022, surpassing that set in 2021. The four highest OHCs on record correspond to the last four years (2019-2022).
Planet temperature in 2022
The report on the average temperature in 2022 on the planet, offered by NOAA and NASA also warns of the impact of the global warming in other fields. It specifies that the global ocean heat content (OHC), an indicator of the heat stored in the upper 2,000 meters of the ocean, reached a record in 2022. Exceeding that established in 2021. The four highest OHCs since there are records correspond to the last four years (2019-2022).
It further reveals that the annual extent (coverage) of Antarctic sea ice stood at 4.09 million square miles (10.5 million square kilometers). A minimum only reached in 1987.
During 2022, each month had a spread that ranked in the top five smallest for their respective months. While the months of February, June, July and August had their lowest registered monthly extension.
In the Arctic, the average annual extent of sea ice was regarding 4.13 million square miles (10.6 million square kilometers). The 11th smallest annual average extent of sea ice on record from 1979-2022, according to data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center external link.
On the other hand, global tropical cyclones were close to average. A total of 88 named storms occurred worldwide in 2022, which was close to the 1991-2020 average.
Of these, 40 reached tropical cyclone strength (winds 74 mph or greater) and 17 reached major tropical cyclone force (winds 111 mph or greater). Accumulated global cyclone energy (ACE), an integrated metric of the strength, frequency, and duration of tropical storms, was the fourth lowest since 1981.
Greenhouse gas emissions on the rise
December 2022 was warm, the research maintains. The average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces in December was 1.44 degrees F (0.80 degrees C) above the 20th century average. It is the eighth warmest December in NOAA’s record of 143 years.
“The reason for the warming trend is that human activities continue to release huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. And the long-term planetary impacts will continue as well,” said Gavin Schmidt, director of GISS, NASA’s main climate modeling center.
Human-sourced greenhouse gas emissions have recovered following a short-lived drop in 2020 due to the pandemic. Recently, NASA scientists, as well as international researchers, determined that carbon dioxide emissions in 2022 have been the highest on record.
NASA also identified some super emitters of methane, another powerful greenhouse gas. Using the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Sources Investigation (EMIT) instrument, which was launched to the International Space Station last year.
Communities around the world are experiencing the impacts that scientists believe are related to the planet’s high temperature, as demonstrated in 2022. warming of the atmosphere and ocean. Climate change has intensified rainfall and tropical storms, deepened the severity of droughts, and increased the impact of storm surges.
Last year brought torrential monsoon rains that devastated Pakistan and a persistent mega-drought in the southwestern US. In September, Hurricane Ian became one of the most powerful and costly hurricanes to hit the continental US.
warmer usa
The average annual temperature of the planet in 2022 rose. As in the United States, which rose 1.4 degrees above the 20th century average, placing it in the warmest third of the 128-year record.
Florida and Rhode Island saw their fifth warmest calendar year on record, while Massachusetts ranked sixth as the warmest. Four additional states experienced one of the 10 warmest years on record: California, Connecticut, Maine, and New Hampshire. Alaska saw its 16th warmest year in the state’s record 98 years, the NOAA document notes.
Annual precipitation in the contiguous US totaled 28.35 inches (1.59 inches below average), putting 2022 in the third driest on the climate record. Nebraska saw its fourth driest year on record and California had its ninth driest year. Meanwhile, above-average rainfall caused Alaska to have its fourth-wettest year on record.
Drought coverage in the US remained significant for the second year in a row. With a minimum extension of 44% occurred on September 6 and a maximum coverage of 63% on October 25. The largest footprint in the contiguous US since the 2012 drought.
In the west of that country, dry conditions reached a maximum coverage of 91.3% of the region on May 3. Drought coverage in the west was reduced as the summer monsoon reduced some coverage in the southwest. The multi-year drought in the western US resulted in water stress/shortage in many places in 2022, as some major reservoirs dropped to their lowest levels.
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