The Earth’s average temperature continues to break records above 17 degrees Celsius, according to the Climate Reanalyzer of the University of Maine, in the United States.
According to the source, which relies on satellite data and computer simulations to make the measurements, the global average temperature on Wednesday was 17.18 degrees Celsius, matching Tuesday’s value.
Monday had already been the hottest ever measured worldwide, exceeding the average of 17 degrees Celsius for the first time.
The average daily surface air temperature on Monday was measured at 17.01 degrees by a service of the U.S. Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA).
This surpassed the previous daily record (16.92 degrees) set on July 24, 2022, according to data from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction.
Scientists have been warning for months that 2023 could record heat records as man-made climate change, driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil, warms the atmosphere.
These observations are probably a foretaste of what is to come with the phenomenon called El Niño (in Castilian) – generally associated with an increase in temperatures on a global scale – complemented by the effects of climate warming caused by human activity.
University of Maine climate scientist Sean Birkle, creator of Climate Reanalyzer, said that the daily numbers are not official, but are useful information for what is happening in the world regarding global warming.
Scientists generally use longer measurements – months, years, decades – to track the Earth’s warming, but daily high temperatures are an indication that climate change is hitting uncharted territory.
High temperature records were broken this week in Quebec, Canada, and Peru. Beijing recorded temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius for nine consecutive days last week.
The year 2022 was the eighth consecutive year where global average temperatures were at least one degree higher than levels observed between 1850 and 1900.