Climate Change | A new international report confirms that the past year 2023 was the hottest ever in climate records

Arab Weather - The latest climate reports issued indicate that the year 2023 is indeed the hottest year ever recorded in climate records, and according to the thirty-fourth annual report on the state of the climate, concentrations of global greenhouse gases and global temperature rise reached record high levels in 2023.

The climate report included the following most important results:

• The annual global surface temperature was 0.55 to 0.60°C above the 1991-2020 average, making 2023 the warmest year since records began in the mid-to-late 19th century, surpassing the previous record set in 2016.
• The transition in the Pacific Ocean from a La Nina at the beginning of the year to a strong El Nino by the end of the year contributed to the record high temperatures.
• Global greenhouse gas concentrations were the highest on record, and again reached record concentrations in 2023. In addition, the annual growth of global average carbon dioxide increased from 0.6 ± 0.1 parts per million per year in the early 1960s to an average of 2.5 parts per million per year during the last decade from 2014 to 2023.
• The annual global average sea surface temperature in 2023 was the highest on record, beating the previous record of 2016 by 0.13°C, and all months from June to December were record warm.
• On August 22, 2023, the highest daily global average sea surface temperature ever recorded was 18.99°C, and nearly 94% of the ocean surface experienced at least one marine heatwave in 2023.
• Heat waves and drought have contributed to massive wildfires around the world, with nearly 37 million acres burning across Canada, an area more than twice the size of Ireland and more than double the previous record of 1989.
• The Arctic recorded its fourth warmest year in the 124-year record, with July-September being record-warm, and the Arctic's seasonal sea ice minimum being the fifth smallest in the 45-year record.
• Antarctic sea ice extent hits record lows throughout 2023 On February 21, 2023, Antarctic sea ice extent reached its lowest ever record, surpassing the previous record set just one year earlier in February 2022.
• There were 82 named tropical storms last year, and seven tropical cyclones reached Category 5 strength.