Global warming continues to disrupt the Earth's temperature. For the third straight year, Earth registered its highest temperature Wednesday breaking the previous high set in 2016.
According to the report which appeared in the New York Times, extreme temperatures were recorded in the Arctic, ranging from 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit above normal stretches of the Arctic Ocean. Ice in this region continues to melt causing huge problems such as rapid coastal erosion.
The new temperature record comes two days prior to the inauguration of Donald Trump, who vowed to recall his predecessors' efforts to reduce the emission of heat-trapping gasses. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) calculated the average 2016 global temperature at 58.69 degrees Celsius, higher by 0.07 degrees from the temperature the previous year.
According to Yahoo website, since recording started in 1880, this is the fifth time in a span of 12 years that a new heat record was established. The record-setting years were 2016, 2015, 2014, 2010, and 2005. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), 2016 was indeed the hottest year which proves that there is indeed extreme warming of the earth.
In an article that was published on CBS News, it was revealed that 16 of the 17 hottest years ever recorded happened in the 21st century, based on figures by the WMO. Extreme temperatures in the first half of the year were due to El Nino. With the polar ice caps of the Arctic continuing to melt, people can expect a catastrophic rise in sea level. A research conducted in 2016 warn of around 13 million Americans becoming "climate refugees" if the worst predictions are realized.
According to Deke Arndt, Global Climate Monitoring Chief of NOAA, a single warm year can be something to be curious about. "It's really the trend, and the fact that we're punching at the ceiling every year now, that is the real indicator that we're undergoing big changes," Arndt said.
