Skip to main content

2016 was year of extreme warming; 2017 shows no signs of easing (downtoearth,)

A new warming record was set with temperature remaining 1.1°C above the pre-industrial period, and 0.06 °C above the previous highest value set in 2015. Carbon dioxide (CO2) crossed 400 PPM mark, average sea-surface temperatures were the warmest and global sea-ice extent dropped more than 4 million sq km below average. That was 2016 for you.

The Statement on the State of the Global Climate issued by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirms that 2016 was the warmest year on record.

Terrestrial warming

According to the report, global temperatures in 2016 were influenced by the strong El Nino event of 2015-2016. The year 2016 features in the “five warmest years for every inhabited continent”. For North America, it was the warmest year on record, with the continental US having its second warmest year, Alaska its warmest and Canada its fourth warmest. Last year was also the second warmest for Africa and South America and third warmest for Europe.

Asia, like Russian Federation, had its warmest January–September on record. The five- and ten-year mean temperatures reached their highest values on record, with 2012–2016 and 2007–2016 being 0.65 °C and 0.57 °C above the 1961–1990 average respectively.

Ocean Warming

More than 90 per cent of the Earth’s energy imbalance goes into heating the oceans. Thus, measuring changes in ocean heat content (OHC) helps in monitoring variations in the Earth’s energy imbalance over a period of time. As oceans warm, they expand, causing both global and regional sea-level rise. Increased OHC is responsible for about 40 per cent of observed global sea-level rise over the past 60 years, according to the report.

Coral bleaching

Warm ocean temperatures contributed to significant coral bleaching in tropical waters. The Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia was among the areas significantly affected, where record high sea-surface temperatures occurred in March. Up to 50 per cent of coral reefs died in northern parts of the reef north of Lizard Island. Later, severe coral bleaching cases were reported in the Okinawa region of Japan.

Greenhouse emission

According to the WMO report, the El Nino event contributed to increased growth rate of greenhouse gases, both through increased emissions from terrestrial sources (forest fires) and decreased uptake of CO2 by vegetation in drought-hit areas. The increase in methane (CH4) concentration from 2014 to 2015 was also larger than that observed from 2013 to 2014. The CO2 levels rose to 405.1 PPM in 2016, putting CO2 at its highest levels in over 10,000 years.

Arctic sea melting

In 2016, global sea-ice extent dropped more than 4 million sq km below average. Credit: NASA
In 2016, global sea-ice extent dropped more than 4 million sq km below average. Credit: NASA

Throughout 2016, the Arctic sea-ice extent was well below average. It was at record low levels for large parts of the year. The maximum extent of 14.52 million sq km, recorded on March 24, was in fact, the lowest seasonal maximum ever since satellite data was first recorded in 1979.

Extremes continue in 2017

Recently released studies, which were not included in the WMO’s report, suggest that ocean heat content may have increased even more than previously reported. Moreover, there is no indication of the rate of increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration easing any time soon.

The El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a major driver of climate variability, but “even without a strong El Nino in 2017, we are seeing other remarkable changes across the planet. They are challenging the limits of our understanding of the climate system. We are now in truly uncharted territory,” says World Climate Research Programme Director David Carlson.

According to studies, changes in the Arctic and melting sea ice is causing a shift in wider oceanic and atmospheric circulation patterns. Thus, in early 2017, some areas, including Canada and much of the US, were “unusually balmy”, while others, including parts of the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa, were unusually cold.

In the US alone, 11,743 warm temperature records were broken or tied in February, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Extreme heat in January and February affected many parts of Australia, creating new temperature records.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

NGT terminates chairmen of pollution control boards in 10 states (downtoearth,)

Cracking the whip on 10 State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) for ad-hoc appointments, the National Green Tribunal has ordered the termination of Chairpersons of these regulatory authorities. The concerned states are Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Rajasthan, Telangana, Haryana, Maharashtra and Manipur. The order was given last week by the principal bench of the NGT, chaired by Justice Swatanter Kumar. The recent order of June 8, 2017, comes as a follow-up to an NGT judgment given in August 2016. In that judgment, the NGT had issued directions on appointments of Chairmen and Member Secretaries of the SPCBs, emphasising on crucial roles they have in pollution control and abatement. It then specified required qualifications as well as tenure of the authorities. States were required to act on the orders within three months and frame Rules for appointment [See Box: Highlights of the NGT judgment of 2016 on criteria for SPCB chairperson appointment]. Having

High dose of Vitamin C and B3 can kill colon cancer cells: study (downtoearth)

In a first, a team of researchers has found that high doses of Vitamin C and niacin or Vitamin B3 can kill cancer stem cells. A study published in Cell Biology International showed the opposing effects of low and high dose of vitamin C and vitamin B3 on colon cancer stem cells. Led by Bipasha Bose and Sudheer Shenoy, the team found that while low doses (5-25 micromolar) of Vitamin C and B3 proliferate colon cancer stem cells, high doses (100 to 1,000 micromolar) killed cancer stem cells. Such high doses of vitamins can only be achieved through intravenous injections in colon cancer patients. The third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, colon cancer can be prevented by an intake of dietary fibre and lifestyle changes. While the next step of the researchers is to delineate the mechanisms involved in such opposing effects, they also hope to establish a therapeutic dose of Vitamin C and B3 for colon cancer stem cell therapy. “If the therapeutic dose gets validated under in vivo

SC asks Centre to strike a balance on Rohingya issue (.hindu)

Supreme Court orally indicates that the government should not deport Rohingya “now” as the Centre prevails over it to not record any such views in its formal order, citing “international ramifications”. The Supreme Court on Friday came close to ordering the government not to deport the Rohingya. It finally settled on merely observing that a balance should be struck between humanitarian concern for the community and the country's national security and economic interests. The court was hearing a bunch of petitions, one filed by persons within the Rohingya community, against a proposed move to deport over 40,000 Rohingya refugees. A three-judge Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, began by orally indicating that the government should not deport Rohingya “now”, but the government prevailed on the court to not pass any formal order, citing “international ramifications”. With this, the status quo continues even though the court gave the community liberty to approach i