As scorching heat waves grip the Southern and Southwestern United States, and temperatures soar across the Northern Hemisphere, NASA scientists have issued a warning that the worst of El Niño is yet to come. The experts predict that next year, 2024, could be even hotter due to the influence of El Niño, a natural climate pattern in the tropical Pacific that brings warmer sea-surface temperatures and affects weather patterns. Gavin Schmidt, Director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, clarified that while El Niño has only recently emerged and is not solely responsible for the current extreme heat, the overall warming trend is primarily driven by climate change resulting from the burning of fossil fuels.
Schmidt emphasized that the continuous injection of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere will keep temperatures rising until substantial actions are taken to curb emissions. The most recent data reveals that June 2023 was the hottest June on record globally. Moreover, some days in July have marked the highest temperatures ever recorded in modern history, as reported by climate agencies in the US and Europe.
Schmidt pointed out that there's a 50-50 likelihood that 2023 could become the hottest year on record. However, he anticipates that 2024 will surpass it, largely due to the impact of the El Niño event. This event is expected to peak towards the end of the current year, and its intensity will significantly influence temperature records in the subsequent year.
The conversation extended to the dire consequences of climate change on the Earth's oceans, particularly in the North Atlantic. Rising ocean temperatures are affecting various facets of the environment, as hotter oceans can intensify hurricanes and contribute to rising sea levels due to glacier melt. Carlos Del Castillo, Chief of NASA's Ocean Ecology Laboratory, emphasized that ocean temperature issues have far-reaching consequences beyond the oceans themselves.
Overall, the escalating temperatures align with scientific predictions driven by increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Schmidt highlighted that even the unprecedented events we witness today are not entirely surprising given the ongoing trend of anthropogenic climate change.
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