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Why Were 2023 and 2024 So Hot?

Union of Concerned Scientists

The year 2023 was by far the warmest in Earths recorded history, and perhaps in the past 100,000 years , shattering the previous record set in 2016 by 0.27C (0.49F). In that year, El Nio added to the increased warming caused by the build-up of heat-trapping emissions in the atmosphere, leading to that record-breaking heat.

2024 285
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​​The Science Behind Sea Level Rise: How Past Emissions Will Shape Our Future

Union of Concerned Scientists

Because of the way the climate and ocean systems respond to heat-trapping emissions, sea levels will continue to rise even after air temperatures stabilize. Research with climate models in recent years shows that when carbon dioxide emissions stop, the rise in atmospheric temperatures will likely also stop.

Sea Level 255
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WMO: Update on 2023/4 Anomalies

Real Climate

since the 1850-1900 baseline is very clearly associated with the increases in greenhouse gases, slightly (and decreasingly) modulated by the changes in atmospheric pollution. Dessler, "Evolution of the Climate Forcing During the Two Years After the Hunga TongaHunga Ha'apai Eruption", Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres , vol.

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New misguided interpretations of the greenhouse effect from William Kininmonth

Real Climate

When looking at the effect of changes in greenhouse gases, one must look at how their forcing corresponds to the energy balance at the top of the atmosphere. Such a hypothetical slowdown would suggest weaker ocean surface warming in the high latitudes, which is not supported by data (Figure 1). 679-688, 2016. References.

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Deciphering the ‘SPM AR6 WG1’ code

Real Climate

I think in hindsight that my concerns from 2013 to some extent were supported by the fact that the IPCC organised an Expert Meeting on Communication, Oslo, Norway, 9–10 February 2016. The cause of our changing climate is the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations that we have released into the air.

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The definitive CO2/CH4 comparison post

Real Climate

The radiative forcing from these changes in concentrations can be easily calculated using standard formulas (from Etminan et al, 2016 which supersede the slightly simpler ones from IPCC TAR), as about 2 W/m 2 for the CO 2 change and 0.65 W/m 2 for CH 4. In contrast, methane has a perturbation time-scale of about 12 years. Highwood, and K.P.

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FIRO to Avoid Water FOMO: How to Save Every Drop with Smart Reservoir Operations in California

Union of Concerned Scientists

FIRO started in California and has since gone worldwide Once upon a time, there was (and still is) a megadrought in California that peaked in the acute drought of 2012 to 2016. In other words, FIRO avoids the fear of missing out (FOMO) on water that you could have stored if you had better forecasting.