Science

We're cooked: The hottest summer on record, confirms NASA

The planet sweltered, and it's not over by a long shot
The planet sweltered, and it's not over by a long shot

Coming as no surprise to the millions who sweltered through a Northern Hemisphere summer, the season that has just passed was Earth’s hottest since records began in 1880, according NASA scientists.

The announcement from researchers at the Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) in New York, follows consecutive months of record temperatures.

June, July, and August, together, were 0.41 °F (0.23 °C) warmer than in NASA’s record books, and 2.1 °F (1.2 °C) warmer than the average summer between 1951 and 1980. August was 2.2 °F (1.2 °C) warmer than the average.

And it may come as no surprise that June, July and August all broke individual records for their hottest months so far. July beat its 2019 best by (0.43 °F) 0.24 °C, and the top five hottest Julys on record have been in the last five years.

“Summer 2023’s record-setting temperatures aren’t just a set of numbers – they result in dire real-world consequences,” said NASA administrator Bill Nelson. “From sweltering temperatures in Arizona and across the country, to wildfires across Canada, and extreme flooding in Europe and Asia, extreme weather is threatening lives and livelihoods around the world.”

GISTEMP, NASA’s temperature records, stem from surface air temperature data provided by tens of thousands of meteorological stations, and sea surface temperature data from ships and buoys. The raw data is analyzed, taking into consideration the spacing of temperature stations around the planet and the effect of urban heating.

“Exceptionally high sea surface temperatures, fueled in part by the return of El Niño, were largely responsible for the summer’s record warmth,” said Josh Willis, climate scientist and oceanographer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

The Southern Hemisphere is now bracing itself for El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) forecasting a 90% probability of “moderate strength” El Niño arriving in spring 2023.

“The onset of El Niño will greatly increase the likelihood of breaking temperature records and triggering more extreme heat in many parts of the world and in the ocean,” said WMO Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas in the July statement.

The naturally occurring El Niño, which usually occurs every two to seven years, stems from an upwelling of warm water to the surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. This has a huge influence on seasonal weather, intensifying events such as heatwaves and floods.

As the US heads into winter, it may be a temporary reprieve. Decades of data collected by NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and others show that El Niño events are exacerbated by human-driven global warming.

"With background warming and marine heat waves that have been creeping up on us for decades, this El Niño shot us over the hump for setting all kinds of records," Willis said. "The heatwaves that we experience now are longer, they're hotter, and they're more punishing. The atmosphere can also hold more water now, and when it's hot and humid, it's even harder for the human body to regulate its temperature.”

Earlier this year, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that the global temperature was likely to increase 2.7 °F (1.5 °C) by the early 2030s. It’s shifted the timeline forward from earlier predictions set at 2050.

As well as more summer records to break, this increase also brings with it many other serious issues including growing prevalence of novel zoonotic diseases, extinctions that cripple the international agreement on biodiversity targets, and food and water security concerns.

"Unfortunately, climate change is happening,” said Gavin Schmidt, climate scientist and director of GISS. "Things that we said would come to pass are coming to pass. And it will get worse if we continue to emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into our atmosphere."

Source: NASA

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17 comments
pbethel
And yet we are still not as warm as, most recently, the Medieval Warm Period. Or the warm period when The Roman Empire expanded to it's maximum size.
Cymon Curcumin
This has been one of the coldest summers I can remember in my 50 plus years on this planet. There were maybe a handful of genuinely warm days. But feel free to blow smoke.
Arandor
I would be interested to see a comparison of air temperatures between 2023 and 1936. To this day, the 1930s still hold many high-temperature records in the U.S.
fen
It comes as a surprise to me, I am in the northern hemisphere. News kept telling us we would have the hottest summer ever, but this year the grass didnt even got yellow, stayed green all year, we had less days of sun by my count, and the news kept telling me that the countries around us were all going to die from the heat. I am pretty sure they all had heat waves, but i dont think it was as advertised, just the peak heat that lasts for a minute or two was higher and then returned to a normal "hot" day. Though I didnt visit other countries this year. Sea wasnt any warmer.
Rusty
Most "science" studies only go back to the 1800's. And how old is the Earth again? 200 years is but a blink of an eye.
The medieval period according to ice core samples was warmer. I remember back in the 90's when all of the "man made global warming" really started kicking into gear (heck I remember in the 70's they said due to pollution blotting out the sun we were headed to a new ice age) all of the melting ice in the artic areas uncovered an abandoned settlement. NOT ONCE did anyone say hey! how was it warm enough in the 12-13th century, without all of the industrial revolution/burning of fossil fuels,
was it warm enough to sustain a settlement this large to support many people?
Shoot, one good burp from a volcano changes the climate more than man does. In 1815, a volcano popped in present day Indonesia that in 1816 was called "the year without a summer". Also, that "tiny" little star some 90 million miles from Earth is in solar cycle 25 which has been quite active. There was a huge CME that popped a few days ago. Had it been FACING earth instead on the far side, that much solar wind/radiation/magnetic activity would alter the magnetic bubble around our planet, which can and does alter the weather.
Yeah, we SHOULD take care of the planet, but, eliminating fossil fuels, banning gas power vehicles, appliances is silly at best! Especially when you have all these "I know more than you do because I'm super rich" types flying all over the place telling us how to live, while owning private jets, huge fleets of gas vehicles, multiple homes, yachts etc which pollute more than 99% of us.
joerauh
I fear that weather data may fall prey to politics also. Just like the flu data for the covid season, we are being fed a edited view to promote a particular political view. Here is SoCal, it's been a very short summer.
David F
No mention of the warming caused by the Hunga Tonga undersea volcano early last year.
Nobody
Many of the days that were forecast to be over 101 this summer didn't happen. Only got up to the upper 90s. This was not the hottest summer that I remember. The only interesting fact that was mentioned is that the atmosphere can hold more moisture when it gets warmer but as I recall from college physics this phenomenon is supposed to cause more snow in the winter and as the weather pendulum swings this way it eventually causes global cooling and will trigger a new ice age. Just as it has before many times.
Al
The MWP was caused by increased solar radiation, and decreased volcanic activity, also the water currents were different with increased warmth in teh north atlantic, so while the coastal and inhabited areas were warmer, it was more in specific areas. A bit like how the west coat of scotland has some tropical gardens and the sea water warm to swim in, but at the same time the east coast and more south in england, the water being frigid....north atlantic drift. But the global average was not a lot of difference to today. I live in england and can quite understand that in the interior of the US, climate may not have changed much in last few decades. but in england, where people like things cool, inside temperature of my stone house is 10C/50F in winter normally. Air con for residential houses practically unheard of here except in last few years, offices do but hardly ever homes. when I was young a really hot summr might be 20C/68F now several years running of excessive sumemrs for many days of exterme heat, often over 38C/100F , in the last 48 years, its only been like this over the last 5. last year there were in the UK about 1000 deaths per day of heat wave with cause of death directly related to heat. often heat stroke and related. Blood thickens in warmer temperatures, i know of a few hospitalisations because of this. Especially the elderly with bad memories who often do their daily routine, like gardening or driving to the tip, going for a walk. without realising the danger they are in. Even people from Dubai and the caribean have said the temperature here is unbearably hot, its made worse by the humidity. Also ive only seen yellow grass in the last few years, in the UK you dont usually get yellow grass.....so yes it has been that hot, yes people have died....
Old J Hawthorne
Yes, let's shout the sky is falling, all is doom and gloom, cuz of all these rotten human beings. Let's not acknowledge the Earth is ...how many thousands of years old? And we're basing these disaster forecasts on the last 150 years? What about solar flare activity? Has there been an increase in that? What will they say if next summer is the coolest "on record"? No one wants pollution or carbon in our atmosphere, but let's keep some perspective and not panic.