Earth has been dealt a hot hand, one that it cannot seem to break. At least, not yet.
The planet’s torrid streak of record-warm months ballooned to seven in April, NASA data released over the weekend reveals.
April 2016 was the warmest April on record for the globe, according to data released on Saturday by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. This also marks the seventh consecutive month in a row in NASA's dataset that the earth has recorded its warmest respective month on record.
Phillip on Instagram
@majikphil
Like these photos?
See all the unedited photos at
Phillip's Natural World
on Facebook
Phillip on Twitter
@philzcatz
Phillip on Instagram
@majikphil
Like these photos?
See all the unedited photos at
Phillip's Natural World
on Facebook
Phillip on Twitter
@philzcatz
The average temperature of the planet was 2.0° Fahrenheit (1.11° C) above the long-term average in April, shattering the old record from 2010 by 0.4° (0.24° C).
NASA data now indicates Earth has set record highs in every month since October 2015 and, in each instance, by a substantial margin.
The record-warm months have become so routine, some scientists have become concerned the public is tuning them out.
April 2016 also continues a string of 369 consecutive months at or warmer than average. The last colder-than-average month in NASA's database was July 1985.
The streak of record-warm months extends even longer in NOAA’s analysis. In March, it reached 11 straight. When NOAA publishes its April global temperature analysis later this week, the span is likely to grow to 12—comprising an entire year of record-breaking monthly temperatures.
2016’s average global temperature is so far out in front of any preceding year that climate scientists say there’s basically no way it won’t become the warmest ever recorded.
The warmth has been particularly pronounced in the Arctic, where temperatures have frequently spiked to more than seven degrees above normal.
Arctic sea ice has responded by dwindling to its lowest extent on record for this time of year, for 48 straight days:
ARCTIC AMPLIFICATION
In April’s second week, the Greenland Ice Sheet experienced its first major melting event, about a month ahead of the previous earliest dates on record. “We had to check that our models were still working properly,” said Peter Langen, a climate scientist at the Danish Meteorological Institute.
Record-breaking Melting
April in Greenland is typically very cold, though some years buck the trend. In 2012, for example, the surface of the ice sheet started melting early and then experienced the most extensive melting since the start of the satellite record in 1978. Weather events and temperature anomalies this April suggest that 2016 may be off to a similar start.
The map above shows land surface temperatures for April 2016 compared to the 2001–2010 average for the same month. Red areas were hotter than the long-term average; some areas were as much as 20 degrees Celsius (36 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer. Blue areas were below average, and white pixels had normal temperatures. Gray pixels were areas without enough data, most likely due to excessive cloud cover.
This temperature anomaly map is based on data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite. Observed by satellites uniformly around the world, land surface temperatures (LSTs) are not the same as air temperatures. Instead, they reflect the heating of the surface by sunlight, and they can sometimes be significantly hotter or cooler than air temperatures.
“The most remarkable aspect here is the incredible departure from 2001-2010 average, especially deep in the ice sheet interior,” said Santiago de la Peña, a research scientist at Ohio State University. “This is accentuated by the fact that the northern regions of the United States and Canada actually experienced cooler than usual temperatures.”
According to de la Peña, a high-pressure weather system sat over the ice sheet through most of April. The system caused temperatures across Greenland to spike, reaching or matching record temperatures in many places. “There have been occasional warming events in the past during spring over Greenland,” he noted, “but they affected only local areas and were not as intense.”
Still, warming events in Greenland are not entirely without precedent. Research by Dorothy Hall, an emeritus scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, has showed that major melt events like those in 2012 and 2002 are not uncommon.
De la Peña thinks such events will become more common in the future as atmospheric warming in the Arctic brings about longer melt seasons. For now, he notes that it is still early to predict how the melt season in 2016 will unfold. “High temperatures are still being recorded in May, suggesting we will have major melt events during the summer.”
Greenland References and Related Reading
Hall, D. et al. (2013, May 28) Variability in the surface temperature and melt extent of the Greenland ice sheet from MODIS. Geophysical Research Letters, 40 (10), 2114–2120.
Mashable Heat wave in Greenland triggers record early start to ice melt season. Accessed May 17, 2016.
National Snow & Ice Data Center Early start to Greenland Ice Sheet melt season. Accessed May 17, 2016.
The Ohio State University Santiago de la Peña. Accessed May 17, 2016.
NASA Earth Observatory Greenland image by Jesse Allen using data from the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LPDAAC). Caption by Kathryn Hansen.
 |
| Damn! That's Hot! Marineland, Florida, Marina |
The planet’s hot streak has been intensified by one of the strongest El Niño events on record, during which heat from the tropical Pacific Ocean vented into the atmosphere.
But El Niño is now weakening, meaning abnormally warm months—compared with the long-term average—may simply become warm months. In other words, the streak of record warm months should end, although it may take until later this year.
We've Read:
Nearly one in two Internet users say privacy and security concerns have now stopped them from doing basic things online — such as posting to social networks, expressing opinions in forums or even buying things from websites, according to a new government survey.
Rio Roundup
They might not have all won Gold but who takes the prize for best-looking swimmers of 2016-17? Surely Ryan Lochte is in the top 10, and who doesn't love Ryan's antics. . .but everyone knows Ryan Lochte. Here are some lesser-known but equally ready-for-2nd-career-in-modeling olympic swimmers
Luca Dotto, Italy
che ragazzo d'oro
While Dotto placed in the top 10 in all his events except for the Men's 4x100m medley relay, he surely comes in first in the speedo competition. His best performances were in the men's 50 and 100 m freestyle.
Douglas Erasmus, South Africa
Vlad Morozov, Russia
Vladimir Morozov 48 Flat Leads Russian 4 x 100 Charge; Six Men At 48.6 or Faster
Morozov came in 4th in 4 events which we think is impressive no matter what NBCs xenophobic announcers might have to say.
What Does It Take To Win Swimming's Fastest Race?
Gregorio Paltrinieri, Italy
Gregorio Paltrinieri challenged the world record for much of the 1500m race. While he fell short of that mark he took home gold and his teammate Gabrielle Detti won bronze. Here they celebrate in classic European bromance style.
While Dotto placed in the top 10 in all his events except for the Men's 4x100m medley relay, he surely comes in first in the speedo competition. His best performances were in the men's 50 and 100 m freestyle.
Douglas Erasmus, South Africa
The Only Way is Up as Doug Does the Job for Rio 2016
Doug only competed in one event but graciously reported from Rio on how honored he was to be an olympian. We like that (and this).
Frédérick Bousquet, Florent Manaudou, y Camille Lacourt, France
Manaudou won a silver medal for a blistering 50m freestyle in 21.41s only 1/100th of a second behind Anthony Ervin of the USA. Frédérick Bousquet came in 25th in the world in 2016 in the 50m but looked exceptional doing it. How about those arms and tattoos?
Manaudou won a silver medal for a blistering 50m freestyle in 21.41s only 1/100th of a second behind Anthony Ervin of the USA. Frédérick Bousquet came in 25th in the world in 2016 in the 50m but looked exceptional doing it. How about those arms and tattoos?
When he's not modeling for Chanel (above) Lacourt is busy winning Euro titles on the Road to Rio.
The famous bromance continues on the Road to Rio
Morozov came in 4th in 4 events which we think is impressive no matter what NBCs xenophobic announcers might have to say.
What Does It Take To Win Swimming's Fastest Race?
Gregorio Paltrinieri, Italy
Campione del mondo 1500 stile libero
Olympic Trivia:
Definitely Michael Phelps for Dragging a Toddler to Zika-infested Rio, Setting up an Instagram Account for the Kid, and Generally Being a Celebrity-mannered, Corporate-crap-sellout.
Olympic Officials for their ever-changing narrative about why those pools are green.
NBC
By 'packaging' the Olympics (and the endless shots of that Phelps baby) NBC insults viewers, and the athletes themselves, and that's why no one is watching.
Matthew Mitcham performs a near-perfect 6th dive to receive gold, ending China's dream of a clean sweep of all diving golds. Mitcham produces the highest scoring dive in Olympic history (112.10), a sensational back two and a half somersault with two and a half twists, finishing with an overall 537.95. Mitcham becomes the 1st male Australian diver to win gold since 1924. Diving 10m Platform Men's Final - Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics - Matthew Mitcham (AUS), Zhou Luxin (CHN), Gleb Galperin (RUS) 8/23/2008 12:00:00 AM
And for fun, a little more trivia:
The book gets 5-star reviews
on Amazon "Twists and Turns"