Global Warming 2023

Global warming is one of the most pressing environmental issues facing the world today. Over the past few decades, there has been a significant increase in global temperatures, resulting in rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and extreme weather conditions. Despite widespread efforts to combat climate change, the problem of global warming persists and continues to pose a threat to our planet.

The year 2023 marks a critical point in the fight against global warming. In recent years, scientists have observed unprecedented levels of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide, in the Earth's atmosphere. These emissions are primarily caused by human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes.

One of the most significant effects of global warming is the rise in sea levels. As the Earth's temperature continues to increase, the polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate, causing the oceans to expand. This is leading to the displacement of coastal communities and the loss of valuable habitats for marine life.

Another consequence of global warming is the increase in extreme weather events. Heatwaves, droughts, hurricanes, and wildfires are becoming more frequent and severe, causing significant damage to communities and ecosystems around the world. These extreme weather events also pose a threat to agriculture and food security, leading to potential food shortages and increased prices.

The impacts of global warming are not limited to environmental consequences. The economic and social impacts of climate change are also significant. For example, businesses and industries that rely on fossil fuels are facing increasing pressure to reduce their carbon footprint, while communities that depend on natural resources for their livelihoods are at risk of losing their way of life.

Despite the severity of the situation, there is hope. Many countries and organizations have committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to renewable energy sources. Governments around the world are investing in clean energy technologies such as wind and solar power, and electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular. There is also a growing movement towards sustainable agriculture and the conservation of natural habitats.

However, there is still a long way to go. It is essential that individuals, businesses, and governments alike take urgent action to reduce their carbon footprint and combat global warming. This can be achieved through a range of measures, such as increasing energy efficiency, reducing waste, and investing in renewable energy sources.

Global warming is a significant environmental issue that requires immediate attention. While the impacts of climate change are already being felt around the world, there is still time to take action and prevent further damage. By working together, we can reduce our carbon footprint, transition to renewable energy sources, and create a more sustainable future for ourselves and future generations.

Artic On Fire - Scientists Alarmed

ECMWF Copernicus Climate Change Service via AP

Siberia has high temperatures this year that were beyond unseasonably warm. From January through May, the average temperature has been about 14 degrees Fahrenheit above average, according to Berkeley Earth.

The thermometer hit a record of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the Russian Arctic town of Verkhoyansk on Saturday. Once it is verified by meteorological experts, it will be unprecedented for the region north of the Arctic Circle.

“That’s much, much warmer than it’s ever been over that region in that period of time,” Berkeley Earth climate scientist Zeke Hausfather said.

Forests have literally been of fire also. Several forest fires are raging in the area.

Marine Life Threatened By Massive Ice Loss

Weddell Sea Ice Loss - Susie Grant

A team of scientists found that the summer sea ice in the Weddell Sea is diminishing at a dramatic rate. Since 2015, the ice cover has decreased by one million km² and could pose a problem for local marine life.

They found that the Weddell Sea was subjected to a number of severe summer storms in 2016 and 2017. When such storms occur in both the Arctic and the Antarctic, they can break up pack ice and drive the resulting floes, causing them to melt faster. 

The team also found something that has not occurred in 50 years. A polynya ; A polynya is an area of open water surrounded by contiguous area of sea ice. 

Ice Cap Continues To Melt

Commemoration of  Okjökull glacier death | Getty Images

The Okjökull glacier is now completely gone . Environmentalists recently attended a ceremony to commemorate the "death" of the glacier.  A plaque now at the site reads "In the next 200 years all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it.”

July was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth since record keeping began in 1880. Nine out of the 10 hottest Julys ever recorded have occurred since 2005, and July was the 43rd consecutive July to register temperatures above the 20th century average.

In Greenland, scientists were stunned by how rapidly the ice sheet is melting, as it was revealed the ice there was not expected to melt like this until 2070. The melt rate has been called “unprecedented,” as the all-time single-day melt record was broken in August as the ice sheet lost a mind-bending 12.5 billion tons of water in one day. It is worth remembering that the Greenland ice sheet contains enough ice to increase global sea levels by 20 feet, and it is now predicted that it will lose more ice this year than ever before.

Also for the first time in recorded history, Alaska’s sea ice has melted completely away. That means there was no sea ice whatsoever within 150 miles of its shores, according to the National Weather Service, as the northernmost state cooked under record-breaking heat through the summer.

Oceans continue to warm as they absorb the brunt of the heat human activity is adding to the atmosphere, and the warming waters are literally pushing Pacific salmon to the brink of their ability to survive, according to another report.

Distressingly, a recently published study showed that unexpected marine heat waves are now becoming the norm rather than the exception.

Alpine mountaineering routes are disintegrating as glaciers and icefields melt in the Alps. The ice-reliant climbing routes in the mountains are tumbling down and melting away faster than anyone expected.

Greenland experienced a record heat wave in the middle of this summer, which dramatically accelerated the melting of the ice sheet, meaning its contributions to sea level rise are in the process of accelerating as well.

Meanwhile, scientists have expressed alarm and shock about the fact that the permafrost across the Canadian Arctic is thawing out 70 years sooner than previously predicted.

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NASA Releases Polar Ice Cap Time Lapse

TIME LAPSE OF POLAR ICE CAPS MELTING

NASA Goddard released the following statement with a time lapse animation of what is happening at the North Pole of Earth. 

"Arctic sea ice has not only been shrinking in surface area in recent years, it’s becoming younger and thinner as well. In this animation, where the ice cover almost looks gelatinous as it pulses through the seasons, cryospheric scientist Dr. Walt Meier of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center describes how the sea ice has undergone fundamental changes during the era of satellite measurements.”