Hottest week on Earth: Global temp at ‘unofficial’ record high for second day
climate change, primarily driven by the burning of fossil fuels. They also noted that the natural cooling phenomenon known as La Nina is transitioning to El Nino, which is characterized by warming oceans. The North Atlantic has experienced record warmth this year.
Also read: ‘India leading war on climate change’ Stanford University climate scientist Chris Field emphasised that this record is further evidence of global warming and its implications for a hotter future. University of Maine climate scientist Sean Birkle, creator of the Climate Reanalyzer said that the daily figures are unofficial but they provide a snapshot of the warming trend. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Sarah Kapnick plans to consider these figures for its official record calculations.
Although the dataset used for the unofficial record only goes back to 1979, NOAA's chief scientist said the world is likely seeing the hottest day in “several hundred years that we’ve experienced." While scientists typically rely on longer-term measurements to track global warming, the daily temperature highs indicate that climate change is pushing into uncharted territory. The heat is impacting various regions, with 38 million Americans under some form of heat alert. Even communities not accustomed to extreme heat, like North Grenville in Ontario, Canada, have had to convert ice hockey rinks into cooling centers. Also read: Global warming can cause headaches.
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