September 2023 has been confirmed as the hottest September in recorded history, scientists from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) reported.
The month also marked the highest temperature anomaly, signifying the most substantial deviation from the long-term average.
NEW YORK - JUNE 9: A man tries to cool himself with a bottle of water during the first heat wave of the year June 9, 2008 in New York City.
Cruel Summer
It is worth noting that record temperatures occurred before the peak of the current El Nino event, differing from the 2016 records, which transpired after its peak, according to Gavin Schmidt, director of GISS.
El Nino, a recurring climate pattern, influences global temperatures and precipitation through trade winds and ocean temperatures in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
In earlier September, NASA revealed that the summer of 2023 ranked as the hottest since global records commenced in 1880. The combined temperatures for June, July, and August surpassed previous records, registering 0.41 degrees Fahrenheit (0.23 degrees Celsius) higher than any preceding summer in NASA's records and 2.1 degrees F (1.2 C) above the 1951 to 1980 summer average.
NASA's temperature records, known as GISTEMP, are compiled from surface air and sea temperature data sourced from meteorological stations, ships, and buoys. These datasets are meticulously analyzed to account for variations in station density worldwide and urban heating effects.
This analysis focuses on temperature anomalies, indicating the extent of deviation from the 1951 to 1980 baseline average. Exceptionally elevated sea surface temperatures, partly due to the return of El Nino, primarily contributed to the summer's extraordinary warmth, notes climate scientist Josh Willis from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Record Temperature
The summer of 2023, marked by extreme heatwaves across several regions worldwide, underscores the tangible impacts of these record temperatures. Sweltering conditions in Arizona and other areas, along with devastating wildfires in Canada and Hawaii, highlight the urgency of addressing climate change.
According to NASA, this new high-temperature record aligns with a long-term warming trend propelled primarily by human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. Natural El Nino events, such as the recent one, intensify atmospheric warmth and frequently coincide with record-breaking years.
The combined effects of sustained warming and marine heatwaves, aggravated by this El Nino event, culminated in unprecedented temperatures. Willis emphasizes that contemporary heatwaves are more prolonged, intense, and punishing.
Additionally, the atmosphere's increased capacity to retain moisture exacerbates the challenges of temperature regulation for the human body in hot and humid conditions.
"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 in a press statement.
"The heat waves 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," he added.
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