The Pacific is set to shift from its warmer El Niño phase to its cooler La Niña phase in late summer or early fall, U.S. officials say, likely bringing an end to a long stretch of unprecedented warmth.
The Pacific is set to shift from its warmer El Niño phase to its cooler La Niña phase in late summer or early fall, U.S. officials say, likely bringing an end to a long stretch of unprecedented warmth.
The world has seen 13 consecutive months of record-breaking heat, according to the EU Copernicus Climate Change Service. The last 12 of those months have measured 1.5 degrees C warmer than the preindustrial era, meaning the world has at least temporarily surpassed the temperature target set forth in the Paris Agreement.
“This is more than a statistical oddity and it highlights a large and continuing shift in our climate,” said Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo. How much of a shift is not entirely certain, however, as the record heat is being driven both by warming and by El Niño. Scientists say the end of El Niño, which was pronounced over in June, will help clarify the role of climate change.
Read more at: Yale Environment 360
Cooler waters pooling in the eastern Pacific during the 2017 La Niña. (Photo Credit: NOAA)
