Seven climate records set so far in 2016

And El Niño is over, for the time being.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/17/seven-climate-records-set-so-far-in-2016

Adam Vaughan
Friday 17 June 2016

1) Arctic sea ice is melting at a rate that by September could see it beat the record low set in 2012. The maximum extent of sea ice in winter was at a record low, and the extent in May was the lowest for that month ever, by more than 500,000 sq km.

The arctic had its warmest winter on record in 2015-2016.

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2) Every month this year has been the hottest on record globally for that month. May, data published this week by Nasa revealed, was no exception. Nasa’s dataset, one of three main global surface temperature records, shows February recorded the highest anomaly against long term average temperatures.

Since October, every month has been the hottest on record for that month/

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3) India recorded its hottest day ever on 19 May. The mercury in Phalodi, in the desert state of Rajasthan, rose to 51C [124F], as a nationwide drought that has affected more than 300 million people marched on, leaving armed guards at dams, and reservoirs well below their usual levels.

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4) Alaska, along with the rest of the Arctic, has experienced record-breaking heat. Spring was the warmest on record in the state, with an average temperature of 0C, and the average year-to-date temperature has been 5.5C [9.9F] above the long term average.

5) Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have been breaking records every year for decades, but the size of the margin by which the record is forecast to break the annual record in 2016 is striking and itself a record. The increase for 2016 is expected to be 3.1 parts per million, up from an annual average of 2.1.

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6) Australia, no stranger to record-breaking heat, just clocked up its hottest autumn yet. Average temperatures were 1.86C [3.35F] above the average, beating the previous record of 1.64C above average, set in 2005.

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7) The Great Barrier Reef, a natural wonder and world heritage site, experienced its worst ever coral bleaching event, as a blob of warm water made its way around the world. An aerial study found that just 7% of the reef escaped bleaching, which can lead to the coral permanently dying.

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tags: extreme weather