Unprecedented global heat in 2023, according to new NASA report
AUSTIN (KXAN) — 2023 is officially the hottest year on record, according to a new report released by NASA. According to the report, global temperatures were around 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 degrees Celsius) warmer than the average.
NASA bases its average temperatures on temperatures between 1951 and 1980.
“(The results are) derived from actual thermometer sensors. We are taking temperatures of the land surface, as well as the oceans to create this global record and estimate just how much warmer we all were in 2023 than past years,” said Doug Morton, an Earth scientist with NASA, in an interview with KXAN.
The report was compiled by scientists from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York.
According to NASA, each month from June through December set new temperature records. July was the hottest month ever recorded.
“The exceptional warming that we’re experiencing is not something we’ve seen before in human history,” said GISS Director Gavin Schmidt in a press release. “It’s driven primarily by our fossil fuel emissions, and we’re seeing the impacts in heat waves, intense rainfall, and coastal flooding.”
El Niño’s role in 2023 and 2024
NASA said that last year’s El Niño also contributed to the warm temperatures. Morton said that we can expect that the climate system will likely continue its impact into 2024.
“Our previous records for temperatures have all come during those El Niño cycles. You may think it’s just a phenomenon that impacted last year, but it’s actually likely to play out over the coming nine or 12 months,” Morton said.
NASA also studied the impact volcanoes have had on global temperatures, tracking the January 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai undersea volcano.
The study found that this volcano led to a slight cooling of the Southern Hemisphere by 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit (0.1 degrees Celsius).
There is some good news. Morton, who studies deforestation, said that satellite data provided by NASA has led to a decline in tropical forests being destroyed.
“I think this is another part of the potential success story, where our ability to use satellite data to monitor our changing planet is actually part of the solution we’re looking for going forward. That said, even if we can make real headway on tropical deforestation, we’re going to have to take our foot off the gas, so to speak,” Morton said.
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