The international annual review of the world’s climate is based on contributions from nearly 600 scientists in 60 countries, led by scientists from NOAA’s NCEI and published by the Bulletin of the AMS. They recently released their 34th annual State of Climate report for 2023, and it reveals many broken records.
The most notable findings from the 2023 State of Climate report include the following:
- 2023 was the warmest year since records began in the 1800s, surpassing the previous record in 2016
- Earth’s greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) reached record high concentrations
- El Nino conditions contributed to record-high sea surface temperatures, with each month from June to December setting a new record of warming
- Global ocean heat content measured from the surface to a depth of 2000 meters reached new record highs
- Global mean sea level was record high for the 12th-consecutive year, reaching 4 inches above the 1993 average when satellite altimetry measurements began
- Antarctic sea ice set record lows in sea ice extent (coverage) and sea ice area, with 278 days setting new daily record-low sea ice extents
- The Arctic had its fourth-warmest year in the 124-year history of record, with July to September being record warm, and had its fifth-smallest sea-ice extent in 45 the 45-year record
- Heatwaves and droughts contributed to massive wildfires around the world, with 37 million acres burned in Canada alone
The annual State of Climate reports are an international effort to more fully understand global climate conditions, and provide a comprehensive update on Earth’s climate indicators, notable weather events, and other data on land, water, ice, and space.
Check out the full report here: https://ametsoc.net/sotc2023/SoCin2023_FullReport.pdf
