Scientists from NASAʼs Goddard Institute for Space Research in New York found that this yearʼs summer was the hottest on Earth since records began in 1880.
The press service of NASA writes about it.
June, July, and August combined were 0.23 °C warmer than any other summer on NASAʼs record, and 1.2 °C hotter than the average summer months between 1951 and 1980.
This chart shows meteorological summer temperature anomalies for each year since 1880. The record heat of the summer of 2023 continues the long-term trend of global warming.
NASA's Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin
This new record has fueled wildfires in Canada and Hawaii, led to heat waves in South America, Japan, Europe and the US and likely contributed to heavy rains in Italy, Greece and central Europe.
The record summer of 2023 continues a multi-year warming trend. Scientific observations and analyzes have shown that it is primarily caused by greenhouse gas emissions from human activity. At the same time, natural El Niño events in the Pacific Ocean add warmth to the global atmosphere.
- Almost 100 people died in Hawaii due to forest fires. Hundreds more are considered missing. Forest fires on the Hawaiian island of Maui began on August 10. The fire quickly covered most of the island and spread to the historic town of Lahaina, which was a tourist center with a population of 12,000. According to the governor, it will take years to restore it. More than 40 people died in the Mediterranean due to forest fires.
- In June, smoke from record forest fires in Canada reached Afghanistan, covering an area of one million square kilometers.
- Due to the Canadian forest fires, on June 8, New York became the city with the most polluted air in the world. The polluted air enveloped the city with yellowish smoke.
- The Fourth of July was the hottest day on record, with an average global temperature of 17.18 °C.
- Researchers have estimated that more than 60 000 people died in Europe in 2022 due to intense heat.