Combined with this summer’s record global heat
This summer, global average temperatures reached unprecedented levels. record set in june Welcome to the hottest June.The same goes for July—not only the hottest July, but the hottest month ever Modern record keeping began in the 19th century.August ranked second Set a record. The result: deadly heat waves, superheated ocean waters, massive wildfires.
To help make sense of these phenomena, here are some of our most popular articles on heat and climate from the past few years, as well as media coverage of this year’s baking temperatures quoting our experts.
Potentially deadly combination of heat and humidity is emerging globally
By Kevin Krajic on May 8, 2020
Map by Jeremy Hinsdale; Adapted from Raymond et al., Science Advances, 2020
Dangerous combinations of heat and humidity are already occurring across the globe, according to a new study. The study identified thousands of previously rare or unprecedented episodes of extreme heat and humidity across Asia, Africa, Australia, South America and North America, including the U.S. Gulf Coast. Along the coast of the Persian Gulf, researchers have identified more than a dozen recent brief outbreaks that exceeded the theoretical limits of human survival. So far, outbreaks have been localized and lasted only a few hours, but their frequency and intensity are increasing, the authors said.
Summer heat wave causes multiple glaciers to collapse
By Jaden Hill | September 13, 2022
During the 2022 summer heat wave, glaciers in the Italian Dolomites, Kyrgyzstan and central Switzerland collapsed due to extreme heat. “This summer’s heat wave was a lesson in drama, simultaneously triggering multiple unexpected changes,” writes author Jaden Hill.
You ask: How exactly does carbon dioxide cause global warming?
By Sarah Fichte | February 25, 2021
Over the past few years, we’ve received many questions about carbon dioxide—how it traps heat, how it can have such a big impact if it makes up only a small portion of the atmosphere, and so on.with the help of Jason SmerdenClimate scientists at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, we answered.
Study maps urban heat island, focuses on environmental justice
By Jeremy Hinsdale | August 26, 2021
Buildings, roads, and infrastructure all absorb and re-emit more of the sun’s heat than the natural landscape.Combine the densely built environment with the heat generated by human activity, and you’ll soon start to see urban heat island— Temperatures in downtown areas can be as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit higher than surrounding vegetated areas. In the summer of 2021, researchers teamed up with citizen scientists to create, for the first time, heat maps of streets in Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx.
Photo: Grant Harley/University of Idaho
More than 1,000 years of tree rings confirm historic limits for 2021 western North American heat wave
By Kevin Krajik March 27, 2023
A tree ring research The weather service in western North America says the region’s 2021 summer heat wave will almost certainly be the worst in at least the past millennium. “Summer 2021 will see unprecedented global temperatures” [the study area] “This suggests that no region is immune to the economic and biological impacts of higher summer temperatures,” the study’s lead author wrote. Karen Hitter with colleagues.
This time the fires: Confronting the realities of climate change
By Steve Cohen | June 12, 2023
“Last week, we saw more evidence of the interconnected biosphere during a terrible few days. A fire broke out about 400 miles from New York City air turns orange and drive New Yorkers off the streets. “The rest of the United States and the rest of the world are familiar with this phenomenon, but New Yorkers are not,” wrote author Steve Cohen. Now we are. “
Risk of deadly heat has tripled in global cities in recent decades, study says
By Kevin Krajik on October 4, 2021
A new study of more than 13,000 cities around the world finds that the number of man-days residents are exposed to extreme heat and humidity has tripled since the 1980s. The authors say the trend, which now affects nearly a quarter of the world’s population, is a combination of rising temperatures and rapidly growing urban populations. “This has broad implications,” said Cascade Tuholske, lead author of the study. “It increases morbidity and mortality. It affects people’s ability to work and it leads to lower economic output. It exacerbates pre-existing health conditions.”
Photo: Radhika Iyengar
do you feel hot
By Radhika Iyengar | May 3, 2022
A personal report on some of the impacts of climate change in India (now the world’s most populous country). “My family members there reported that the hot air burned their noses and their shoes got stuck in road tar that melted as they walked. Life had become unbearable in many parts of India. Of course, Those who are financially struggling will bear the brunt of this dangerous heat.”
Green Ways to Stay Cool During a Heat Wave
By Renee Cho | August 3, 2018
“It’s very important for people to stay cool during the summer heat, especially during heat waves, because the heat kills and makes people sick, even in healthy young people,” said Kim Knowlton of Columbia University. People and Athletes.” University Mailman School of Public Health. If you don’t have air conditioning, or choose not to use it, here are some greener strategies for staying cool. Hope they also save you money on electricity.
- New Study Shows Direct Link Between Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Polar Bear Declines
inside climate news | September 3, 2023
A 2021 report from the Sabin Center for Climate Law summarizes scientific findings on the effects of climate change on endangered species. Global warming is a primary threat to nearly all species, and if biodiversity collapses, some of Earth’s best natural mechanisms for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and slowing atmospheric heating will fail. - Extreme heat may accelerate cognitive decline in some people
independent | August 23, 2023
July 2023 will be hotter than any other month in the global temperature record, according to scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. With the rigors of summer and rising global temperatures, it can be hard for the body to adapt. - Wildfires, hurricanes and heat: America is being battered by extreme weather from far and wide
nbc news | Tuesday, August 22, 2023
The myriad of disasters should serve as a wake-up call to society’s vulnerability to climate-accelerated harm and the need to mitigate and adapt to the reality of a warming world, said Andrew Krutkiewicz, a senior fellow at the Columbia Climate Institute. - Mediterranean warms to ‘unprecedented’ levels amid global heatwave
United Press International| August 18, 2023
A global heatwave is pushing temperatures in the Mediterranean to new highs. This July was 0.43 degrees hotter than any July on record, according to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. “The science is clear — this is not normal,” said GISS Director Gavin Schmidt. - Americans Flock to Regions Worst Impacted by Climate Change
nerd wallet | August 8, 2023
“Extreme heat and humidity are going to be a reality pretty much wherever you move,” said Alex De Sherbinin, a senior research scientist at the Columbia Climate Institute. “But the life-threatening damage from such events will be more localized to certain areas, rather than other regions.” - Large swathes of the United States are experiencing a brutal summer.This is a climate wake-up call for many
Associated Press | August 7, 2023
Radley Horton, a scientist at Columbia University who studies ocean and climate physics, said there are other components that can come together to create heat waves. For example, drier conditions mean that more solar energy can be used to heat the air rather than evaporate water from plants and soil. The time of year also plays a role: At latitudes farther from the equator, the Earth’s tilt can result in 15 or more hours of sunlight in summer, a long time for heat to build up. - July heatwave and high ocean temperatures herald extreme weather to come
Washington post | July 31, 2023
Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, largely agrees. This is the hottest month on record on Earth, and the weather conditions are shocking, but not surprising,” he said. Scientists and environmental advocates hope that the recent extreme weather will somehow spur global collective action, which has largely failed to happen. - Antarctica has four times the winter sea ice deficit as Texas
Axios | July 31, 2023
Scientists don’t know what is causing the shortage, but they are deeply concerned about its consequences, as sea ice affects the planet’s climate, global ocean currents and marine ecosystems. Lettie Roach, an associate research scientist at Columbia University, said she was particularly concerned that the sea ice shortage was happening at the same time as scorching heat broke global temperature records.
