Meteorologists are reporting that February is poised to shatter numerous heat records, driven by human-induced global warming and the natural El Niño climate pattern, leading to soaring temperatures across land and oceans worldwide, as per media sources.
Just over halfway through this brief month, the surge in heat has become so significant that climate charts are entering uncharted territory, especially regarding sea-surface temperatures, which have continued to rise and accelerate, perplexing experts, according to reports.
Dr. Joel Hirschi, associate head of marine systems modeling at the UK National Oceanography Centre, emphasized, “The planet is warming at an accelerating rate. We are witnessing rapid temperature increases in the ocean, the largest reservoir of heat in the climate.” He added that the extent to which previous sea surface temperature records have been surpassed in 2023 and now 2024 exceeds expectations, with ongoing research focusing on understanding the underlying causes.
According to Berkeley Earth scientist Zeke Hausfather, humanity is on track to experience the hottest February on record, following record-breaking months from January through May. However, he noted that the recent temperature rise is expected to peak at 2°C above pre-industrial levels, provided El Niño follows its typical pattern of cooling down in the coming months, as reported by The Guardian.