Currently — January 20th, 2023

January 19, 2023

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 (6 of 6) SEE: Map of #December 2022 Global Significant #Climate Events from @NOAANCEIhttps://t.co/O79dbB56hl #StateOfClimate pic.twitter.com/V9ZALA4nQq— NOAA (@NOAA) January 12, 2023 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its 2022 global climate report last week.

Earth had its 6th-warmest year on record (from 1880 to 2022) in 2022, according to the report. The average global surface temperature was 1.55 degrees F (0.86 degrees C) above the 20th-century average. December’s global surface temperature was 1.44 degrees F (.8 degrees C) above average, making it the eighth-warmest December in the 143-year-long NOAA record.

Oceans continued to warm as well. In fact, the global ocean heat content (OHC) reached a record high, surpassing 2021’s record. The four highest OHCs have all occurred in the last four years, from 2019 to 2022.

The polar sea ice ran low, too. The 2022 annual Antarctic sea ice cover was at a near-record low at 4.09 million square miles, as only 1987 had a smaller annual extent. The 2022 annual Arctic sea cover was about 4.13 million square miles, the 11th-smallest annual average in the 1979-2022 record.

2022 also saw 88 named storms, near the 1991-2020 average. Of those, 40 reached tropical cyclone strength, with winds of 74 mph or higher, and 17 reached major tropic cyclone strength, with winds of 111 mph or higher. The global accumulated cyclone energy (ACE)—which measures the strength, frequency, and duration of tropical storms—was the fourth lowest since 1981

—Aarohi Sheth

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