While January 2017 did not get a further temperature boost from the El Niño that affected the same period in the previous year, it doesn’t mean it’s not record warm. In fact, it has emerged as the third hottest January in 137 years of modern record-keeping.
This finding was released by scientists at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies of NASA, based on a monthly global temperature analysis.
Third Hottest On Modern Record
Last month, global temperature was 0.20 degrees Celsius (32.36 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than January 2016, the warmest recorded January, but it was 0.92 degrees Celsius (33.656 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the mean temperature of January from 1951 to 1980.
On the upside, January 2017 appeared to be the first time in a while that global temperatures strayed from a steady upward trend, but it placed third among modern January records, where 2016 was the hottest at 1.12 degrees Celsius (34 degrees Fahrenheit) than the mean temperature. Not far behind it in second place is 2007 at 0.96 degrees Celsius (33.728 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the base period.
The monthly GISS analysis is based on data from around 6,300 meteorological centers worldwide, ship- and buoy-based instruments that measure sea surface temperature, and research posts in the Antarctic region. Observations began in 1880, as the ones before that did not cover enough of Earth.
A mild, rather short-lived La Niña episode came after 2016’s El Niño, but it has gone away, and no similar cooling influence is expected soon.
Global Warming Trend
As grimly forecasted, 2016 is the hottest year on the planet, and the third consecutive year to break the record in average global temperatures. It was 1.78 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average according to NASA, and 1.69 degrees Fahrenheit above the same period’s average based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Last year, there was a single land area on Earth that enjoyed lower-than-average temperatures. It was actually the third warmest year in a row, with January to August serving as the warmest on record.
Tech Times also previously reported that in the United States, 2016 ranked second hottest in records since 1895. Last year, every single city and state in the Lower 48 states sizzled than usual, with almost 3 degrees higher than long-term average.
Climate scientists warn about a consistent warming trend, although certain findings still point to a so-called global warming pause or when temperature rise appears to plateau. A study earlier this year, however, negated the idea and asserted that no, a specific set of NOAA data is not proof of a hiatus. Instead, the oceans have been warming at a relatively stable clip over the past 50 years.
Scientists continue to highlight grim predictions of climate change effects. In the recently held Climate & Health Meeting in Atlanta, in place of the cancelled CDC summit, experts warned of heat waves, disease outbreaks, and mass-scale hunger as the likely public health risks.
The World Health Organization estimated the climate crisis will lead to about 250,000 additional deaths every year from 2030 to 2050 because of these fatal risks.
