6 reasons that caused global temperatures to rise

Arabia Weather - The world is very hot at the moment. We are not only witnessing record temperatures being recorded, but records are being broken with record differences as well. For example; The initial global temperature anomaly in September was 1.7°C above pre-industrial levels, reaching 0.5°C above the previous record.

The preliminary global September temperature significantly exceeded all previous values in the instrumental record. - Copernicus

Why is the world so hot? What does it mean to maintain the goals of the Paris Agreement?

Here are 6 important factors contributing to this significant rise in temperatures , and climate change is the main reason for this

The effect of the El Niño phenomenon on rising temperatures

One reason for the exceptional heat is that we are facing a large El Niño phenomenon that is still intensifying. During an El Niño phenomenon, we see a rise in ocean surface temperatures over much of the tropical Pacific Ocean. This rise in temperature, in addition to the effects of the El Niño phenomenon in other regions of the world, causes To increase average global temperatures by about 0.1 to 0.2 degrees Celsius.

Given the fact that we've just come out of a double La Niña, which in turn cools global average temperatures a bit, and given that this is the first major El Niño in eight years, it's not entirely surprising that we're seeing an unusual rise in temperatures at present.

However, relying on the El Niño phenomenon alone is not enough to explain the massive rise in temperatures the world is currently experiencing.

Low pollution

Air pollution caused by human activities contributes to cooling the planet and offsets some of the warming caused by human greenhouse gas emissions. Efforts are underway to reduce this pollution, and since 2020 an international agreement has been reached to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions from the global shipping industry.

This decrease in pollution levels could be a contributor to the current increase in temperatures, especially in areas of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans that have seen an increase in shipping traffic.

However, recent analysis suggests that the impact of the 2020 shipping agreement on rising global temperatures will be limited, with warming expected to increase by around 0.05°C by 2050.

Increased solar activity

While clearing the air of pollution increases the reach of solar energy to the Earth's surface, the amount of energy emitted by the sun itself naturally changes. The sun is characterized by different cycles, and among these cycles there is a solar cycle that lasts about 11 years and has a significant impact on the Earth’s climate.

At the end of 2019, the sun began to noticeably increase its activity, and this increased activity contributes slightly to the rise in global temperatures. On the whole, research suggests that increased solar activity only plays a role of small fractions of a degree in the current global warming.

Water vapor resulting from the eruption of the Hunga Tonga volcano

On January 15, 2022, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai underwater volcano in the South Pacific Ocean erupted, releasing large amounts of water vapor into the upper atmosphere. Water vapor is a greenhouse gas, so increasing its concentration in the atmosphere in this way contributes to enhancing global warming.

Although it has been almost two years since the eruption, its impact on global warming is still minimal. However, in addition to decreased pollution and increased solar activity, these factors could play a minor role in the planet's temperature rising by hundredths of a degree.

Having weather systems in place

We see global temperatures fluctuate from year to year, even without factors like El Niño or significant changes in pollution. It's possible that part of the reason September is so unusually warm is because weather systems are in the right place to warm the Earth's surface.

When a high pressure system takes hold over continental regions, as has recently happened in regions such as western Europe and Australia, we see higher local temperatures and unusual thermal conditions.

Since the heating and constant movement of water in the oceans requires more energy, temperatures over the seas do not react as quickly when we encounter high-pressure atmospheric systems.

The locations of weather systems warming many continental regions, combined with ongoing ocean warming, could also be contributing to increasing average global temperatures.

The effect of climate change on temperatures

In fact, human-induced climate change is the biggest cause of global temperatures rising by +1.7°C overall, other than other factors. The bulk of this heating is due to human-caused global warming, with human greenhouse gas emissions causing an increase of about 1.2°C in temperatures.

Given the continuing high rates of greenhouse gas emissions, global warming is expected to continue to accelerate. Although human greenhouse gas emissions explain the general trend of rising temperatures over the decades, they are not enough to explain the significant increase in temperatures we saw this September compared to September last year.

The large difference between these two years is due in part to a change from El Niño to El Niño, and also to the timing and distribution of favorable weather systems in specific regions.

Source: theconversation