The surface of the oceans has just registered the warmest month in its history in May, the European Copernicus service announced on Wednesday.
“Ocean surface temperatures are now at record levels and our data indicates that the average temperature of all ice-free seas in May 2023 was higher than in any other May,” the deputy director of the ocean said in a statement. service. (C3S), Samantha Burgess.
The findings are based on computer analysis of billions of pieces of data collected by satellites, ships, planes and weather stations around the world.
Some of the data used by Copernicus dates back to 1950.
In terms of temperatures on the planet as a whole, the month of May was the second hottest ever recorded.
“May 2023 was the second warmest in the world, when we see signs of El Niño emerging in the equatorial Pacific,” said Samantha Burgess, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
El Niño is a natural weather phenomenon generally associated with rising temperatures, increased drought in certain parts of the world, and heavy rainfall in others.
The phenomenon last occurred in 2018-2019 and led to a La Niña episode of almost three years, which causes opposite effects, namely a reduction in temperatures.
Despite this moderating effect, the past eight years have been the warmest on record.
In early May, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a specialized UN agency, warned that El Niño was likely to form this year, raising temperatures to new records.
The organization then estimated that the probability of an El Niño forming by the end of July is 60% and 80% by the end of September.
Source: TSF
