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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNorthern Hemisphere’s Temperature Just Reached a Terrifying Milestone
By Eric Holthaus
Our planets preliminary February temperature data are in, and its now abundantly clear: Global warming is going into overdrive.
There are dozens of global temperature datasets, and usually I (and my climate journalist colleagues) wait until the official ones are released about the middle of the following month to announce a record-warm month at the global level. But this months data is so extraordinary that theres no need to wait: February obliterated the all-time global temperature record set just last month.
Using unofficial data and adjusting for different base-line temperatures, it appears that February 2016 was likely somewhere between 1.15 and 1.4 degrees warmer than the long-term average, and about 0.2 degrees above last monthgood enough for the most above-average month ever measured. (Since the globe had already warmed by about +0.45 degrees above pre-industrial levels during the 1981-2010 base-line meteorologists commonly use, that amount has been added to the data released today.)
Keep in mind that it took from the dawn of the industrial age until last October to reach the first 1.0 degree Celsius, and weve come as much as an extra 0.4 degrees further in just the last five months. Even accounting for the margin of error associated with these preliminary datasets, that means its virtually certain that February handily beat the record set just last month for the most anomalously warm month ever recorded. Thats stunning.
more
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2016/03/01/february_2016_s_shocking_global_warming_temperature_record.html
Update, March 3, 2016: Since this post was originally published, the heat wave has continued. As of Thursday morning, it appears that average temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere have breached the 2 degrees Celsius above normal mark for the first time in recorded history, and likely the first time since human civilization began thousands of years ago. That mark has long been held (somewhat arbitrarily) as the point above which climate change may begin to become "dangerous" to humanity. It's now arrivedthough very brieflymuch more quickly than anticipated. This is a milestone moment for our species. Climate change deserves our greatest possible attention.
roamer65
(36,745 posts)Pure methane right straight into the atmosphere in billions of cubic feet.
Not good.
femmedem
(8,201 posts)bvar22
(39,909 posts)We spent many nights in Feb without a fire...that is a first.
(Wood stove is our source of heat.)
Worked outside many days in Tee shirt.... IN FEBRUARY!!!
Daffys and Iris are blooming, fruit trees fixing to bud.
We don't know whether to plant our veggies or not.
Planting now will risk the traditional April freeze...but this year is anything but traditional.
We will probably hedge our bet. Plant some now, but start new seeds indoor in case the others are frozen out in April.
Zing Zing Zingbah
(6,496 posts)Today is cold, but nothing unusual for Maine in winter. We've had very few below 32 F days this winter. It has been the most unusual winter weather I can remember. It has been a terrible winter for winter sports and activities because we've had next to nothing or nothing for snow all winter.
GreenPartyVoter
(72,377 posts)mountain grammy
(26,613 posts)It's been spring since the middle of Feb. Looks like April outside, snowpack at normal, but melting fast.
Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,500 posts)Avalux
(35,015 posts)Not enough before it's too late that's for sure. Human beings are too busy obsessing about other things.