Global warming does not guarantee that each month or year will be warmer than the preceding month or year.
What is Temperature Anomaly?
- This is a measurement of how far the actual temperature differs from the long-term average temperature for a certain area and time period.
- Anomalies are calculated by summing the difference between the current temperature and the long-term average temperature for a given time period.
- The anomalies are caused by land-ocean-atmosphere processes that determine weather and climate in real time.
- It is an important tool for studying climate change through time since it allows scientists to compare temperatures from different time periods and regions.
- A temperature anomaly of +2°C in a specific place in a certain year, for example, indicates that the temperature in that region was 2°C higher than the long-term average for that region and time period.
What is the point of studying this?
- Long-term trend: Scientists can discover long-term trends in climate change and anticipate future changes by analysing temperature anomalies across time.
- Track extreme weather events: These are also used to track extreme weather events including heatwaves, droughts, and floods, which can have serious consequences for human health, agriculture, and natural ecosystems.
Recent context: March was the second warmest on record.
- The fact that March 2023 was the second warmest March on record indicates that the world is warming over time.
- It clearly shows the impact of human activity on the earth.
- The use of fossil fuels and deforestation have increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which trap heat and contribute to global warming.
- This warming trend is anticipated to continue and accelerate in the next years, resulting in more extreme weather events, sea-level rise, and other detrimental global effects.
What does this indicate for the weather in my area?
- The second-warmest March on record has the potential to have a substantial impact on local weather patterns.
- As previously stated, the warming over the northwest to the west of India resulted in cooler-than-normal weather across Mumbai and excessive pre-monsoon rains over the northwest.
- Kerala and Odisha, on the other hand, endured searing heatwaves.
- These meteorological anomalies have the potential to have major consequences for agriculture, water resources, and public health.
Implications
- Crop yields are declining due to extreme weather events, and changes in precipitation patterns can cause water shortages or flooding.
- Heatwaves can induce heat stress and other health issues, especially in susceptible groups like the elderly and small children.
Source: https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/weather-climate