Sept. 14 (UPI) — NASA has declared that summer 2023 broke records as the hottest season on Earth since detailed recordings began in 1880.
This year’s summer temperatures averaged 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the average between 1951 and 1980.
Scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies in New York analyzed temperature data and found that the combined summer months of June, July, and August were on average 0.41 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than any previous summer according to NASA’s records.
“The record-breaking temperatures of summer 2023 have real-world consequences,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Extreme weather events like scorching temperatures, wildfires, and flooding pose a threat to lives and livelihoods worldwide.”
Nelson emphasized that these climate change effects are not just a concern for the present but also for future generations.
This summer saw exceptionally intense heat waves in various parts of the world, including the United States, South America, Europe, and Japan. The impact of climate change was also evident in deadly wildfires in Canada and Hawaii, as well as heavy rainfall causing flooding in Italy, Greece, and Central Europe.
NASA measures surface air temperature using data from meteorological stations and sea surface temperature data from buoys and ships.
During the summer, ocean temperatures off the coast of Florida rose above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In August, the Mediterranean experienced a record-breaking temperature of 84 degrees, according to a report by Jordan’s government.
The report stated that “climate change has led to higher air temperatures in the Mediterranean, which raises water surface temperatures and evaporation.”
A recent report by a subsidiary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration revealed that climate disasters in the United States over the past forty years have cost more than $2.6 trillion. In 2023 alone, there were 23 confirmed climate disasters in the US, resulting in 253 fatalities and costs exceeding one billion dollars for each event.
The findings from NASA align with a climate study conducted by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, which identified July as the hottest month on record, followed by the warmest August ever documented.
“The evidence is clear that this is not normal,” said Gavin Schmidt, Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. “The alarming rise in global temperatures is primarily driven by human-made greenhouse gas emissions and is fueling dangerous extreme heatwaves both domestically and internationally.”
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