Scientists ‘staggered’ by record rise in Earth’s temperature

The Earth got so hot last month that scientists described temperatures as “astronomical”, “staggering”, and “strange”. They warned that the climate might have moved into a new, hotter neighbourhood.

This was not just the drumbeat of 10, straight, broken monthly global heat records, triggered by a super El Nino and manmade global warming. February has obliterated old marks by such a margin that it is the most above-normal month since meteorologists started keeping track, in 1880, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The old record was set just last December and the last three months have been the most above-normal on record, said NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden.

NOAA is not alone in issuing such dire forecasts. Nasa, which uses different statistical techniques, as well as a team from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and the private Remote Sensing System team, which uses satellites, also said February 2016 had the biggest recorded departure from normality.

NOAA said the Earth averaged 13.38C in February, 1.21C above average, beating the old record for February, set in 2015, by nearly six-tenths of a degree. These figures had scientists grasping for superlatives.

“The departures are what we would consider astronomical,” said Dr Blunden. “It’s on land. It’s in the oceans. It’s in the upper atmosphere. It’s in the lower atmosphere. The Arctic had record low sea ice.

“Everything, everywhere is a record this month, except Antarctica. It’s insane.”

In the Arctic, where sea ice reached a record low for February, land temperatures averaged 4.5C above normal, Dr Blunden said. That is after January, when Arctic land temperatures were 5.8C. Worldwide, February 2016 was warmer than 125 of the last 136 Marches.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said the temperatures last month were “spectacular”.

He said climate change was now impacting the entire world and must be addressed.

“It’s happening now,” said Mr Ryan. “It’s not academic, it’s not in the future anymore. It’s happening now and we saw it in the series of storms over the winter. It’s going to involve everyone.”

He said politicians will now have to pay more attention to climate change.