Page 4 - Earth Temperature

Earth will likely lock into breaching key warming threshold in 2029: Report

In a little more than five years sometime in early 2029 the world will likely be unable to stay below the internationally agreed temperature limit for global warming if it continues to burn fossil fuels at its current rate, a new study says. The study moves three years closer the date when the world will eventually hit a critical climate threshold, which is an increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since the 1800s. Beyond that temperature increase, the risks of catastrophes increase, as the world will likely lose most of its coral reefs, a key ice sheet could kick into irreversible melt, and water shortages, heat waves and death from extreme weather dramatically increase, according to an earlier United Nations scientific report. Hitting that threshold will happen sooner than initially calculated because the world has made progress in cleaning up a different type of air pollution tiny smoky particles called aerosols. Aerosols slightly cool the planet and mask the

Over half of Earth's vital signs at record extremes, shows research

A global team of scientists has shown in a new study that 20 of the Earth's 35 vital signs have "worsened beyond anything humans have seen, to the point that life on Earth is imperilled". The 20 signs, such as the Arctic sea-ice levels, ice mass loss in Antarctica and Greenland, sea level rise and surface temperature anomaly, are at record extremes, the team of researchers, including those from the US, the UK, Brazil and Bangladesh, said. The study, published in the journal BioScience, also established pertinent statistics regarding temperatures and greenhouse gas emissions. For example, 2023 has already witnessed 38 days with global average temperatures more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the researchers said in their study. Further, the highest average Earth surface temperature ever recorded was in July, and there was reason to believe it was the highest surface temperature the planet has seen in the last 1,00,000 years, they said. "Life on our planet is .

Searing temperature fast becoming a threat to global fuel security

In addition to causing spikes in electricity demand as people fire up air conditioners, the scorching temperatures have led to a spate of disruptions at oil refineries

July was hottest month on record by far, European scientists confirm

Now that July's sizzling numbers are all in, the European climate monitoring organisation made it official: July 2023 was Earth's hottest month on record by a wide margin. July's global average temperature of 16.95 degrees Celsius (62.51 degrees Fahrenheit) was a third of a degree Celsius (six tenths of a degree Fahrenheit) higher than the previous record set in 2019, Copernicus Climate Change Service, a division of the European Union's space programme, announced Tuesday. Normally global temperature records are broken by hundredths or a tenth of a degree, so this margin is unusual. These records have dire consequences for both people and the planet exposed to ever more frequent and intense extreme events," said Copernicus deputy director Samantha Burgess. There have been deadly heat waves in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, Europe and Asia. Scientific quick studies put the blame on human-caused climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. Days in July hav

Even moderate temperature rise may cause increased hospital visits: Study

Even moderate temperature increases, for example night-time temperatures starting at 18.4 degrees Celsius, can lead to increased hospital visits and death in older adults and those with cardiorespiratory conditions, according to a study conducted in Canada. Researchers from the University of Waterloo and Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada have refined and expanded a method of data collection to assess the health impacts of heat waves and poor air quality. The new method, described in the journal Environmental Research, will help municipalities make a strong case for choosing which mitigation and adaptation measures to pursue to effectively respond to climate changes. The options could include planting more trees for shade, investing in emergency warning programmes, or planning to have more staff available to run ambulances, support hospitals and long-term care homes. "Much of the financial burden to mitigate the impacts of hot temperatures is left to municipalities, but the

China reaches a blazing 52.2 degrees celsius temperature in mid-July

China experienced 52.2 degrees celsius temperature on Monday, setting new records for mid-July. The other parts of the world are also struggling with searing temperatures

Global temperatures near record highs as US, China meet on climate change

Wildfires in Europe raged ahead of a second heat wave in two weeks that was set to send temperatures as high as 48C

Ground beneath us is heating up, civil infra not designed for it: Study

The ground beneath us is heating up, giving rise to the phenomenon of "underground climate change" and our civil infrastructure was not designed for it, scientists say. The continuous heat diffusion from buildings and underground transportation, seen in many urban areas around the world, causes the ground to warm at an alarming rate, found to be 0.1 to 2.5 degrees Celsius per decade by researchers. The heating up of ground leads to its deformation that includes both expansion and contraction, causing building foundations and the surrounding ground to move excessively and sometimes develop cracks, thereby impacting structures' long-term performance and durability. "The ground is deforming as a result of temperature variations, and no existing civil structure or infrastructure is designed to withstand these variations," said Northwestern University's Alessandro Rotta Loria, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, and who led the US-based study published in the .

Third hottest day as Wednesday's temperature matches record set Tuesday

Earth's average temperature remained at a record high Wednesday, after two days in which the planet reached unofficial records. It's the latest marker in a series of climate-change-driven extremes. The average global temperature was 17.18 Celsius (62.9 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the University of Maine's Climate Reanalyzer, a tool that uses satellite data and computer simulations to measure the world's condition. That matched a record set Tuesday of 17.18 Celsius (62.9 Fahrenheit), and came after a previous record of 17.01 Celsius (62.6 degrees Fahrenheit) was set Monday. Scientists have warned for months that 2023 could see record heat as human-caused climate change, driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil, warmed the atmosphere. They also noted that La Nina, the natural cooling of the ocean that had acted as a counter to that warming, was giving way to El Nino, the reverse phenomenon marked by warming oceans. The North Atlantic has seen .

Tuesday broke Monday's global record for hottest day ever: Report

The entire planet sweltered for the two unofficial hottest days in human recordkeeping Monday and Tuesday, according to University of Maine scientists at the Climate Reanalyzer project. For two straight days, the global average temperature spiked into uncharted territory. After scientists talked about Monday's dramatic heat, Tuesday soared 0.17 degrees Celsius (0.31 degrees Fahrenheit) even hotter, which is a huge temperature jump in terms of global averages and records. The same University of Maine climate calculator based on satellite data and computer simulations forecasts a similar temperature for Wednesday that would be in record territory, with an Antarctica average that is a whopping 4.5 degrees Celsius (8.1 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the 1979-2000 average. High temperature records were surpassed July 3 and 4 in Quebec and northwestern Canada and Peru. Cities across the US from Medford, Oregon to Tampa, Florida have been hovering at all-time highs, said Zack Taylor, a

Temperatures seen surging as El Nino weather pattern returns: WMO

El Nino, a warming of water surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, is linked to extreme weather conditions from tropical cyclones to heavy rainfall to severe droughts

IMD predicts drop in temp owing to western disturbances in north west India

There is a fresh western disturbance coming, so the temperature will fall and the heatwave conditions will alleviate," said IMD scientist

'More likely than not': Rise in world temp to breach 1.50C by 2027

Weather phenomenon, while distinct from climate change, is likely to boost extremes and bring warmer weather to North America and drought to South America, with the Amazon at greater risk of fires

India on alert for blistering heat across swathes of country in May

Temperatures aren't the only factor that makes heat waves dangerous. Humidity can also be fatal when the human body can't cool itself by sweating

Understanding the wet-bulb effect: How heat and humidity affect us

Wet-bulb temperature is used to depict the temperature at which our bodies will be unable to cool themselves down by sweating

Navi Mumbai where 12 people died due to sunstroke has no IMD observatory

Navi Mumbai, the city where 12 people died due to sunstroke after attending an award function, has no observatory of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on the basis of which local weather alerts can be issued. On the Maharashtra government's request, the IMD had forecast that the temperature in Kharghar area of Navi Mumbai, where the function was held on Sunday, could reach 34-35 degrees Celsius, based on the data from its Santacruz observatory in neighbouring Mumbai, located 35 km away, MeT officials said. However, on ground the temperature rose to 38 degrees Celsius. The temperature was recorded by the nearest observatory in Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) in Rabale area of Navi Mumbai. The observatory is operated by the Thane-Belapur Industrial Association. IMD scientist Sushma Nair told PTI that the observatory was revived in 2017 due to which enough observations are not there to calculate normals. "If we do not have any observatory near a venue wh

Max temperatures may rise 2-3 degrees Celsius in North India in 3 days: IMD

Similar forecast for central India; another round of hailstorms and thunderstorms could hit parts of North, Central and western India mid-March; little impact seen on standing wheat crop

Shimla sees warmest February day in 17 years at 23.2 degrees Celsius

The day's temperature in Shimla on Sunday was 21.6 degrees, whereas the minimum was 14 degrees, 10.6 degrees above the average

Planting trees could cut deaths from higher temperatures by third: Study

Planting more trees could decrease deaths from higher summer temperatures in cities by a third, according to a modelling study published in The Lancet journal. The study of 93 European cities found that increasing tree cover up to 30 per cent can help lower the temperature of urban environments by an average of 0.4 degrees Celsius and prevent heat-related deaths. Of the 6,700 premature deaths attributed to higher temperatures in cities during 2015, one third of these (2,644) could have been prevented by increasing urban tree cover up to 30 per cent, the researchers said. These findings highlight the need for more sustainable and climate-resilient strategies to be integrated into local policy decisions to aid climate change adaptation and improve population health, they said. "We already know that high temperatures in urban environments are associated with negative health outcomes, such as cardiorespiratory failure, hospital admission, and premature death," said study lead author, .

2022 was fifth warmest year on record, situation alarming: NASA analysis

The global temperatures in 2022 were 1.6-degree Fahrenheit (0.89-degree Celsius) above the average for NASA's baseline period (1951-1980)