The month of April marks a new monthly heat record. It is indicative of a series of several months where global temperatures are well above average… and targets.
The rain of recent weeks could fool you, but it is yet another reminder of the difference between local weather and global climate: April 2024 is a “remarkable” month of heat records. It was simply the hottest April on record. satellite data from Copernicus teach us.
Advertisement
Specifically, April 2024 was 1.58 degrees Celsius warmer. compared to an estimate of the April average for the period 1850-1900 », that is to say the pre-industrial reference period. This figure is not trivial: international agreements such as the Paris Agreement aim to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. And this is not the only important information in this 2024 Copernicus report.
1.61 degrees more
Data from Copernicus reveals that it has been 11 months in a row since a monthly record for global temperatures has occurred. Such a series of records is not normal, especially since it is not the first time: “ Although unusual, a similar series of monthly global temperature records occurred previously in 2015/2016 », Explain the Copernicus scientists.
In total, on the average of the past 12 months, therefore over a year since May 2023, we obtain the highest temperature ever recorded:
- 1.61 degrees warmer than the pre-industrial global average of 1850-1900;
- 0.73 degrees warmer than the 1991-2020 global average.
- The European continent as a whole is experiencing an increase of 1.49 degrees Celsius.
The initial target of 1.5 degrees has not yet been exceeded, since this is an average over 12 months. Climate change is assessed over much longer periods.
Advertisement
The surface of the sea also affected
Sea surface is also an indicator. Satellite data shows a temperature of 21.04 degrees, the highest figure ever recorded for the month of April. Which is also close to March 2024 (21.07 degrees).
“The additional energy trapped in the ocean and atmosphere by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases will continue to push global temperatures to new records”
“ (…) As temperature variations associated with natural cycles like El Niño come and go, the additional energy trapped in the ocean and atmosphere by increasing greenhouse gas concentrations will continue to push the global temperature reaches new records », would like to specify Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, in the press release.
Regarding the sea ice, the observations are very contrasting. At the North Pole, first, in the Arctic, its extent was 2% lower than normal — a less significant anomaly than those observed in previous Aprils over the past ten years. On the South Pole side, on the other hand, in Antarctica, there is an extent of -9% compared to the average, i.e. the 10th month of April where the anomaly is the most significant. What follows ” a pattern of frequent large negative anomalies observed since 2017 » in the region, which is warming up very quickly.
Our documentary Fournaise
To better understand the causes and consequences of the ecological crisis, discover our documentary formats: