The recent release of the State of the Global Climate 2023 report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has drawn attention to the unprecedented increase in the heat content of the world's oceans in 2023.
Moreover, the report underscores the exacerbation of weather and climate-related hazards, which have heightened concerns regarding food security, population displacement, and the vulnerability of certain populations throughout 2023.
In 2023, the heat content of the Earth's oceans surged to a historic high, marking the highest level ever recorded.
This escalation in oceanic heat content is primarily attributed to anthropogenic climate influences such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and alterations in land use practices.
While much of the world's oceans are experiencing warming trends, localized areas, notably the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean, are witnessing cooling phenomena.
This cooling trend has been linked to the deceleration of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a crucial system of ocean currents responsible for redistributing warmth northward and cold southward.
In 2023, global sea-surface temperatures (SST) soared to unprecedented levels, with multiple months setting new records by significant margins. Notably, regions such as the eastern North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, North Pacific, and extensive areas of the Southern Ocean experienced exceptional heating.
The global ocean witnessed an average daily coverage of Marine Heatwaves reaching 32%, surpassing the previous record of 23% in 2016. By the end of 2023, a substantial portion of the ocean between 20° S and 20° N remained under heatwave conditions since early November. Moreover, a broad band of severe and extreme marine heatwave enveloped the North Atlantic, with temperatures soaring 3°C above average. These heatwaves pose detrimental effects on marine ecosystems and coral reefs, exacerbating ocean acidification due to increased absorption of carbon dioxide.
2023 marked the warmest year on record, with the global mean near-surface temperature reaching 1.45 ± 0.12 °C above the pre-industrial 1850–1900 average. Each month from June to December set new records for warmth, attributing the long-term temperature rise to heightened concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Glaciers worldwide experienced unprecedented ice loss, propelled by extreme melting in western North America and Europe. Antarctic sea ice extent plummeted to an all-time low for the satellite era, while Arctic sea ice remained significantly below normal levels.
The year 2023 witnessed a surge in extreme weather events such as heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires, and tropical cyclones, impacting all inhabited continents. Notable events include flooding linked to Mediterranean Cyclone Daniel affecting multiple countries, the prolonged existence of Tropical Cyclone Freddy, and the intensity of Tropical Cyclone Mocha, which triggered significant displacements and worsened food insecurity in the Bay of Bengal region.
Renewable energy capacity saw a substantial surge in 2023, indicating progress towards decarbonization goals and the transition to clean energy sources, essential for mitigating climate change.
Despite a notable increase in global climate-related finance flows, the current levels fall far short of what is needed to meet climate targets. There remains a significant financing gap, particularly for adaptation efforts, hindering progress towards climate resilience.
The socioeconomic repercussions of weather and climate-related hazards are profound, encompassing food insecurity, population displacement, economic losses, and exacerbation of inequality on a global scale. These impacts underscore the urgent need for concerted efforts to address climate change and its multifaceted consequences.
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