Earth experienced 6th warmest July and August in 143 years
If you felt the mercury levels this year were just too high, fret not, you weren't alone. The news is that our very own planet Earth has experienced the sixth warmest July and August months this year in a whopping 143 years! Scientists believe that 2022 could easily be featured among the top 10 warmest years ever. Read on to know more.
Earth's average temperature in July and August 2022 calculated
Scientists from the US's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) calculated the Earth's average temperature in July and August 2022. While July's temperature showed a jump of 0.87 degrees Celsius, August rose by 0.9 degree Celsius than the previous century's average. In fact, scientists also recorded that five of the seven July months since 2016 were among the warmest ever on Earth.
June-August were the 5th hottest over the Northern Hemisphere
NOAA scientists also revealed that the summer months between June to August 2022 over the northern hemisphere were the fifth hottest in 143 years. The readings ascertained were compared with those of 2015 and 2017 to conclude this. "The three months temperature during these three years remained 0.89 degree Celsius above the 20th century average," stated an NOAA report.
Extreme heat resulted in parts of Japan, France, and more
This sudden and extreme heat this year was experienced in parts of the US, Africa, Japan, Spain, and France. Additionally, countries including China, Italy, Portugal, and the UK also experienced a sharp rise in temperatures. All these countries witnessed dry, arid, and unusually warm conditions to an extent that they dealt with severe droughts unheard of in recent centuries.
Rising temperatures impacting Arctic and Antarctic poles
Post-summer, the sea ice extent generally increases in the Arctic and Antarctic poles, with approaching winters. However, in comparison with the averages recorded back in 1981 to 2010, the Arctic sea coverage rather fell by 16.8% (4.67 million square miles) this year. Even the Antarctic sea coverage dropped down by 4.2% (6.55 million square miles) when compared with the same averages.
Despite heat waves, here's why India wasn't the most impacted
India, which was making headlines for heat waves much before China and Europe in 2022, wasn't among the countries worst impacted due to the rise in temperature. The reason? Well, India's size is bigger than most European countries. Even if parts of India are experiencing their warmest years, the average can be dragged down by parts that are experiencing heavy rainfall between June-August.
