New research on Monday confirms that the first half of 2020 has been close to the hottest on record across the globe, the Independent reported.
The average global temperature between January and June were 1.07°C above the 20th-century average of 13.5°C, only 0.05°C lower than the record set in 2016, based on reports from Nasa and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Based on the data, NOAA calculated a 36% that 2020 will end up as the warmest year on record.
A separate report from Nasa found that June’s temperatures were tied as the third-hottest on record, marking the 426th consecutive month of warmer-than-average global temperatures.
Some areas that experienced their warmest first-half to any calendar year include South America, Europe, Asia, and the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, the coolest air was across Alaska, parts of western Canada and northern India.
Statistical analysis finds that there’s a very high likelihood that 2020 winds up in the Top 5 for the warmest years on record across the globe. Data from Climate Central shows 2020 on pace to be within that range as well.
Climate Central also states that while emissions did decline during the spring, they are quickly rising as countries emerge from the previous shutdown.
Separately, data from the NOAA and Nasa was analyzed by the National Snow and Ice Data Centre, which found the extent of Arctic sea ice in June 2020 to be the third-smallest for 42 years at 460,000 square miles, or 10.1 % below the 1981-2010 average.
The extent of Antarctic sea ice was 5.10 million square miles, slightly below the 1981-2010 average.
