Record Arctic temperature raises
global warming concerns
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| A NASA satellite image showing land surface temperatures in Siberia (ANSA) |
The small Russian town of Verkhoyansk in Siberia is one of
the coldest on Earth. If verified, the temperature recorded there on June 20
could mark the hottest temperature ever registered north of the Arctic Circle.
By Vatican News
Reports that temperatures in a Russian town in the Arctic
Circle likely reached a record 38C (100.4F), last weekend, have been approved
by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) pending final verification, the
United Nations specialized agency said on Tuesday.
Heatwave, climate change, wildfires
“The WMO is seeking to verify reports of a new temperature
record north of the Arctic circle”, WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis told
journalists in Geneva. “It was reported in the Russian town of Verkhoyansk amid
a prolonged Siberian heatwave and increase in wildfire activity,” she
said.
Earlier on June 5, WMO reported that May was the warmest on
record and carbon dioxide levels also hit a new high despite the economic
slowdown from COVID-19. It urgently appealed for renewed efforts to
tackle climate threats.
“Our planet is sending us a clear warning. The need for
immediate and ambitious #ClimateAction is more urgent than ever,” UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a post on Twitter on Monday.
He was reacting to the record high temperature registered in the Arctic
Circle.
According to WMO, the region of Eastern Siberia now in the
spotlight is known for its weather extremes in winter and in summer, with
temperatures above 30C (86F) not unusual in July.
The record Arctic temperature, more typical of the Tropics,
comes a few months after the Argentine research base, Esperanza, on the
northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula, registered a new record temperature of
18.4C (65.3F) on 6 February.
The Arctic heating up twice as fast
According to WMO, the Arctic is heating at roughly twice the
global average. Nullis explained that the heat spike follows a prolonged
Siberian heatwave and wildfire period after an unusually warm spring that was
also characterised by a lack of snow.
Data from WMO show that May was about 10C (18.5F) above
average in many parts of Siberia, “and it was this extraordinary heat which
actually drove, made the warmest May on record for…the northern hemisphere, and
also we think at a global level as well”, said Nullis said.
According to WMO, air temperatures in the Arctic from 2016
to 2019 were the highest on record.
Declining sea ice
Equally worrying was the volume of Arctic sea ice in
September 2019 (after the melting season) which declined by more than 50 per
cent, compared to the average from 1979 to 2019.
The unusual warmth in winter and spring was associated with
an exceptionally early break-up of ice in Siberia’s rivers.
Warming planet
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service
carried out more in-depth exploration of their data.
“Although the planet as a whole is warming,” Copernicus
said, “this isn’t happening evenly.” It noted that western Siberia was
warming faster than average. “This means that, to some extent, large
temperature anomalies are not unexpected. However, what is unusual in this case
is how long the warmer-than-average anomalies have persisted.”
Above normal temperatures are expected to continue across
the majority of the Arctic for June–August 2020, according to the Arctic
Climate Forum, which provides information for decision-makers about a rapidly
changing region, which is warming more than twice the global mean.
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