NASA has revealed April’s global temperature was the highest ever logged for the month, making it seven months in a row of record-breaking temperatures.
Goodbye ice caps, goodbye low-lying islands. According to NASA’s latest global temperature readings, April 2016 was 0.24ºC hotter than any other April on record, continuing a run dating back to last October.
October 2015 (record by O.2ºC ), November (0.2ºC ), December (0.31ºC ), January (0.14ºC ), February (0.45ºC ), March (0.37ºC ), April (0.24ºC ). The trend is emphatic.
According to Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, there is a greater than 99pc chance that 2016 will be the hottest year ever recorded.
That’s after just four months of readings.
NASA April temperature is out. Warmest April on record. Beats the previous record by largest margin ever. #climate pic.twitter.com/7BissESrWJ
— Stefan Rahmstorf (@rahmstorf) May 15, 2016
Global warming
Last March, climate scientists from the Earth Institute in UCD called for academic and industry partners to develop a new centre to further greater research into climate change.
Led by Prof Jennifer McElwain, the aim is to develop a new climate centre that would be dedicated to curbing greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural, transport, residential and industrial sectors.
In that area, the marine energy research centre for Ireland has managed to secure €750,000 in funding to help develop marine energy technologies for use in Irish low-carbon technologies.
It’s not just heat from above that is worrying climatologists, with activity beneath the Earth’s surface seemingly playing a part. too.
According to a new scientific paper, co-authored by Trinity College’s Dr Alan Vaughan, any future modelling must now also take into account significant geothermal activity from the depths.
The team’s findings explain that processes deep in Earth’s mantle are coupled with the flow dynamics and subglacial hydrology of the large ice sheet.
With Apr update, 2016 still > 99% likely to be a new record (assuming historical ytd/ann patterns valid). pic.twitter.com/GTN9sPL2D7
— Gavin Schmidt (@ClimateOfGavin) May 14, 2016
It’s getting hot in here
According to The New York Times, some of the world’s best-known climatologists are warning that some of the worst effects of global warming are likely to be seen within a few decades, rather than centuries, as once predicted.
This was in response to, and doubting the success of, an international accord in Paris, called COP21, which saw 195 countries agree to target just a 2ºC temperature rise over pre-industrial levels.
Good Morning! Sunrise bursting on the scene followed by beautiful ocean sun glint. We get 16 of these every day!https://t.co/UKanwP0Bv8
— Jeff Williams (@Astro_Jeff) May 13, 2016
Main temperature image via Shutterstock
