Brussels (Global News)_ El Niño is back and the world will feel the heat. Temperatures across the world are expected to reach record highs this year with the onset of El Niño, which weakens winds across the Pacific Ocean adjacent to the equator, causing ocean temperatures to rise. The temperatures will begin transforming in the boreal summer – between June and August this year in the northern hemisphere, with the phenomenon developing later in 2023.
Temperatures are estimated to rise about 0.1°C to 0.2°C and compared to pre-industrial levels, envisaged at over 1.5 degrees Celsius or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service remains unsure of the exact timeline, stating it could be 2023 or 2024, although the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration points out a 62 per cent chance of El Niño happening between May and July 2023. There is a 85 per cent increase in chance of El Niño becoming a reality by end 2023. The theory is further augmented with the burning of fossil fuels continuing, despite calls to action to reduce usage and change to alternative energy sources.
2016 was recorded as the warmest year on record for the planet with El Niño coming through with full force. 2022 holds firm as the fifth warmest year on record.
While datelines may yet be fluid, after the end of El Nina, ocean surface temperatures hit a record high this year breaking the 2016 record, which means, even if the expected El Niño effect is weak, it will still be at much higher temperatures than ever experienced. The record-high ocean temperatures point to temp gauges going off the charts sooner rather than later.
