September shatters heat record, shocking even climate scientists

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Global temperature heat records have tumbled this year and September was no different, prompting leading climate scientists to describe the increases as “gobsmackingly bananas” and “Unnerving. Bewildering. Flabbergasting. Disquieting. Shocking. Mind-boggling”.

The United Nations’ chief climate body, the Copernicus Climate Change Service, has released data showing September was 0.93 degrees warmer than the 1991–2020 monthly average global temperature of 15.45 degrees.

This is a staggering 0.5 degrees warmer than the previous record, set in September 2020.

Sydney sweltered broke the month’s 23-year record on September 19.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

The data also shows the first nine months of this year were 0.05 degrees warmer than the first nine months of 2016, the hottest year on record.

That year, the Great Barrier Reef experienced some of its worst coral bleaching and global temperatures soared during an El Nino event, which makes the weather hotter and drier.

Already this year June, July and August have been the hottest-ever consecutive months globally.

Californian climate scientist Zeke Hausfather, who specialises in temperature records, posted on social media that the data was “absolutely gobsmackingly bananas”.

He added that the warm temperature was a combination of the rapid transition from wetter La Nina conditions over three years, as well as global warming led by greenhouse gas emissions.

Ed Hawkins, the principal research scientist at the US-based National Centre for Atmospheric Science summarised the data as: “Surprising. Astounding. Staggering. Unnerving. Bewildering. Flabbergasting. Disquieting. Gobsmacking. Shocking. Mind boggling”.

Antarctica’s sea ice coverage also remains at a record low for this time of the year, about 9 per cent below the monthly average.

With less sea ice, oceans will absorb more heat, further warming oceans. This can have longer-term impacts on future sea ice cycles. With less sea ice, the atmosphere and our oceans are also likely to warm up.

That’s because the sea ice helps reflect the heat from our oceans. Without it, oceans will absorb the heat, leading to increasing temperatures, prompting sea ice melt and leading to rising sea levels.

This can have severe impacts on the ecosystems that rely on Antarctic sea ice – like the krill population which migrating whales rely on for food, or penguins who rely on sea ice for breeding.

Climate Council research director Dr Simon Bradshaw said the data had many on edge about what the near future could hold.

“We are seeing records not just broken, but broken by big margins. This is deeply unsettling. One thing is clear – we must massively pick up the pace of action,” he said.

“It is dumbfounding that we are still approving new coal and gas projects in Australia while the planet faces an escalating climate crisis. Every new fossil fuel development increases the danger to all of us.”

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