2013 is on course for being one of the 10 hottest years since modern records began in 1850, says the World Meteorological Organisation.
Sea levels are rising and extreme weather conditions are keeping pace. It’s no coincidence, say experts, that we saw the world’s worst storm (Hurricane Haiyan, in the Philippines) in one of the years with the warmest temperatures.
“All of the warmest years have been since 1998,” explained WMO’s secretary-general Michael Jarraud. “This year once again continues the underlying, long-term trend.
“The coldest years now are warmer than the hottest years before 1998,” he added. The significance of this cannot be underestimated. “We are on course for a hotter future,” Jarraud agreed.
“Surface temperatures are just part of the larger picture of our altered climate”, he explained. “The impact on the water cycle has already become noticeable – showing itself in droughts, floods and extreme rainfall.”
This year, Central Europe has seen the worst floods for 60 years, while Angola and Namibia have suffered the worst droughts for 30.
In Portugal, average temperatures since January have been 0.4º up on previous years, but high temperatures are known to come and go in 30% of the years here, added WMO.
The organisation’s provisional statement for 2013 also commented that sea levels have hit a new world record. They have been rising an average of 3.2 millimetres a year since satellite tracking began in 1993. Before 2000, sea levels were rising only 1.6 millimetres per year.
“Sea levels will continue to rise because of the melting of polar ice-caps and glaciers,” explained Jarraud. “More than 90% of the extra heat is being generated by gases and absorbed by the oceans which will, consequently, continue to warm up and expand for hundreds of years.”
