Citizen Journalist: temperature

According to the Met Office, the summer of 2022 was England's joint hottest on record. It was 17.1 C, which was recorded in 2018. The average temperature for the months of June, July and August was the warmest in records dating from 1884. This indicates that most of warmest summers on record for England have occurred since 2003. These are the effects of human-induced climate change. Incidentally, there was the record-breaking heat in July. At that time, the temperature went beyond 40C and was a first in the UK. The heatwave led to a rise in incidents of fire with consequent loss of homes and cars. England just had its joint hottest summer on record - in data that stretches back to 1884. England had to endure its sixth-driest summer on record. It was also the driest since 1995 based on records that go back to 1836.

Drought has gripped much of England. This was the result of insufficient rainfall. In addition, the hot, dry conditions dried up rivers, damaged crops and fueled wildfires. These led to destruction of properties in the form of homes and land. The warnings by the Met Office are clear – England might have to face longer and drier summers. The reason would be climate change. Forecasters have cautioned that the duration of summer-like conditions would increase with corresponding reduction in rainfall. The Environment Agency has already declared a drought in the South West region of England. This could be a matter of concern.

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Greenland is losing ice at a fast rate with global sea level rise

A study in the Nature Climate Change journal reveals widespread loss of ice from Greenland. The extent of loss could result in global sea level rise of nearly a foot. There is no apparent way to prevent this from happening even if the world stopped releasing planet-heating emissions immediately. The overall loss could trigger at least 10 inches of sea level rise, irrespective of the climate warming scenarios. That would be a matter of concern because it would be equal to the total rise over the last century from Greenland, Antarctica and thermal expansion. Researchers from the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland made note of changes in ice-sheet volume in and around Greenland. It seems meltwater runoff was the primary driver. Subsequently, relying on "well-established theory," they rang the danger bells. The Greenland ice sheet -- equivalent to 110 trillion tons of ice -- will cease to exist as the ice sheet reacts to the changes that have already occurred. Greenland ice losses set to raise global sea levels by nearly a foot, new research shows. The authors did not specify a timeline but their prediction is that the change in sea levels can occur by the end of the century.

Massive sheets of ice sheets can melt at a fast rate when the air temperature is warm. Moreover, the warmer ocean water also erodes the sheet around the edges. Incidentally, a current report released earlier this year by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cautions that coastal regions of the United States could expect 10 to 12 inches of sea level rise in the next three decades. This could mean increase in the frequency of high tide floods and storm surges would spread further inland. In case all the ice melted, it would lift sea levels by roughly 25 feet around the world. This extent of sea level rise could leave some places devastated. The amount of ice that melted in Greenland between July 15 and 17 alone was approximately 6 billion tons of water per day. That is a whole lot of water.

Citizen Journalist

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

The summer of 2022 was hottest on record in England and it tied with 2018

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Greenland is losing ice at a fast rate with global sea level rise