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“Relentless Rise of Ocean Heat Content Drives Deadly Extremes.
“Ocean heat content reached a new record high for the fourth year in a row, scientists said Wednesday as they released their annual measurements of ocean heat accumulating down to a depth of more than a mile.
“The findings published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Science show that just in the past year, the planet’s seas absorbed about 10 Zetta joules of heat—equivalent to 100 times the world’s total annual electricity production.”
“Relentless rain, record heat: study finds climate crisis worsened extreme weather… “The extreme nature of these events is very alarming,” said Stephanie Herring, a climate scientist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
“”We need to understand if these events are signs that things are getting hotter faster than we had expected.””
“A world rapidly warming’: The past eight years were the eight warmest on record for planet.
“The last eight years have been the eight warmest on record as the growing concentration of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere pushes global temperatures toward a dangerous tipping point, a new report shows… 2022 was the fifth-warmest year for the planet since records began.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/10/world/eight-warmest-years-climate-copernicus-intl/index.html
“Last summer was Europe’s hottest on record by a clear margin, new data shows.
“It was also the continent’s second-hottest year on record, exceeded only by 2020 and just slightly warmer than 2019, 2015 and 2014, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said.”
https://news.sky.com/story/last-summer-was-europes-hottest-ever-12783626
“Twelve European countries broke monthly temperature records in 2022 as the continent recorded its hottest ever summer, new analysis shows.
“Of 27 European countries analysed by the Guardian, 12 recorded their highest ever temperature anomaly for at least one month in 2022. ”
“Year 2022 in Andorra (long term Hydroelectric station as reference) was by far the warmest year on records.
“At an altitude of 1132m above sea level, the average temperature was a staggering 12.4C [54.3F], about 1C above the previous warmest year and 2C above the 1991-2020 average (+2.3C 80-00).”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1612819049427132417
“How fire turned a goat herder into a climate migrant in ’empty Spain’…
“Álvaro couldn’t afford to insure his herd, so the losses overwhelmed him. He had to sell his remaining goats and everything else he owned, and leave in search of a new way to make a living. He ended up working as a shepherd in France and Switzerland, taking care of other people’s herds.”
“A bottle of olive oil could soon set you back £11, with fears the UK could soon run out of supplies thanks to a devastating heat wave…
“Temperatures in southern Europe soared to more than 40°C last year, causing havoc in the Spanish province of Andalucía, which is known for producing more olive oil annually than the whole of Italy.”
“2022 in Russia was the 2nd warmest year on records after 2020.
“The largest anomalies in 2022 were in the north of the European territory, the Urals, Siberia and parts of Yakutia. See map of anomalies vs. 1961-1990 average (discount 1C+ vs. 1991-2020 normal) by Meteoinfo Russia.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1612796531534401542
“Exceptional: Dzalinda (correct pronunciation Zhilinda) in Yakutia dropped to -62.1C [-79.78] on 10 January, a new monthly record (all time low is -63.5C) and first -62C in Russia since 2002.
“In the past a total of 37 Russian stations reached -62C but after 1984 this has become a rare event.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1613003007972589568
“The South African Weather Service (SAWS) says that parts of the Western Cape will experience a heat wave with extremely high temperatures until Wednesday.
“Temperatures reaching close to 40 degrees Celsius [104F] are likely to occur in the Central and Little Karoo region and sweep through the Eastern Cape…”
“Madagascar’s unique wildlife faces imminent wave of extinction, say scientists.
“From the ring-tailed lemur to the aye-aye, a nocturnal primate, more than 20m years of unique evolutionary history could be wiped from the planet if nothing is done to stop Madagascar’s threatened mammals going extinct, according to a new study.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/10/madagascar-unique-wildlife-extinction-aoe
“Saudi Arabia: Makkah mountains turn green after heavy rain.
“The mountains in and around the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia have turned green after weeks of heavy rain and last month’s flash floods, the Saudi Press Agency has reported. The agency shared a video clip on Twitter last Thursday showing the effect of the excessive rainfall.”
“Photos: Ladakh herders struggle on the frontier of climate crisis…
“Nestled between Pakistan and China, Ladakh has faced both territorial disputes and the stark effects of climate change. The region’s sparsely populated villages have witnessed shifting weather patterns that have already altered people’s lives through floods, landslides and droughts.”
“Hundreds of residents from rural towns across Australia have been told to prepare for the worst as bushfires spread out-of-control.
“Homes have already been destroyed and others remain under threat by blazes near Cedar Vale, Millmerran Woods, Cypress Gardens, Millmerran Downs, Thane and South Ripley as the Queensland of Fire and Rescue Services order more than 300 residents to evacuate.”
“Kimberley floods may have left hundreds homeless in region with longstanding housing crisis.
“Massive flooding in Western Australia may have left hundreds of people homeless, bringing the region’s pre-existing overcrowding crisis into sharp relief, local residents say.”
“River Murray flooding kills ‘thousands’ of wombats, but rescuers work to save survivors…
“The floods have soaked areas that had been dry for decades, undermining the burrows of southern hairy-nosed wombats throughout the region. “If they don’t get out of the burrow in time, they’re drowning, [or] they’re getting stuck in the mud and then eventually starving to death,” Ms D’Crus said.”
“New Zealand has again charted its hottest year on record, with 2022 taking the place of 2021 in the climate change-driven record books.
“New Zealand’s nationwide average temperature was 13.76 degrees [56.8F] in 2022, according to climate agency NIWA, which was 0.2 degrees higher than last year.”
https://au.news.yahoo.com/zealand-charts-hottest-2022-215450558.html
“State of emergency remains in wake of Cyclone Hale’s torrential downpours.
“Torrential rain and flooding plunged parts of the North Island’s east coast into a state of emergency as Cyclone Hale swamped the region on Wednesday before moving down country… By the end of the storm, close to 400ml [15.7 inches] of rain will have fallen in parts of the Coromandel.”
“Coral reefs are under threat from hidden heatwaves, warns a new report…
“A new study has found coral reefs near the island of Moorea in French Polynesia ended up bleached in April and May 2019 despite the absence of warm El Niño winds which are normally the riskiest. The unexpected event was caused by anti-cyclonic eddies…”
“Heat wave: half of Argentina is under alert for extreme temperatures.
“After a December where various parts of the country exceeded the maximum of 40 degrees [104F], the heat continues to affect Argentina. In that sense, the National Meteorological Service issued a red alert for extreme temperatures for five provinces, while half of the country is with warnings of the yellow and orange level.”
“Wildfires rage in Uruguay; firefighters complain of lack of equipment…
“Since Saturday, they have been fighting the flames of a forest disaster in Salinas, in Canelones departmen. The fire has spread to several localities and crossed route 87, which was closed and caused traffic re-routing. The strong winds and high temperatures are hampering firefighting efforts…”
https://www.plenglish.com/news/2023/01/09/forest-fires-in-uruguay-and-claims-by-firefighters/
“Death toll in California storms hits 17 and ‘likely to grow’, says state’s governor.
“At least 17 people have been killed in California as a relentless string of storms batter the state, turning rivers into gushing flood zones and forcing thousands of people to evacuate from towns with histories of deadly mudslides.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/10/california-storms-flooding-evacuations-latest
“‘It’s really devastating’: A tiny California town is underwater after storm deluge.
“The entire community of Planada, a town of about 4,000 people just east of Merced, was evacuated Tuesday morning amid rising waters from a breached levee. By late morning, street after street was flooded with brown water that sent cars bobbing along like boats, drifting near half-submerged stop signs.”
https://news.yahoo.com/really-devastating-tiny-california-town-232050833.html
“The California snowpack is an incredible 215% of normal, with FEET of additional snowfall likely over the next 10 days.
“The Southern Sierra’s snowpack is 257% of normal, which is incredible to see because it has been the hardest-hit area in the state by the drought.”
https://twitter.com/US_Stormwatch/status/1612898394183434241
“Tampa saw record-breaking warmth and above normal rainfall in 2022.
“We saw an average annual temperature of 76.4 degrees [24.7C] in 2022 at the Tampa International Airport. This barely beat out 2017 and 2020 for the warmest year on record by a tenth of a degree.”
“Record mild January continues, wet weather likely later this week in Maine…
“Maine has already seen the warmest start to January on record. This month will likely end up as one of the warmest Januarys ever recorded in Maine… Thing do not look promising for snow…”
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
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