Why are we witnessing these unprecedented temperatures this year in metropolitan Phoenix and worldwide?
Some may ridicule the inquiry. However, it is indeed an enigma that will require time to research and comprehend.
Indeed, climate change unquestionably had an impact.
Prior to this summer, the warmest eight years on the planet had all been recorded since 2015, reports the World Meteorological Organization.
Across the globe, scientists were predicting that other factors could significantly raise this year’s temperatures to extreme levels well before this summer.
One of the factors that contributed to the massive underwater earthquake near the island nation of Tonga was a year and a half ago.
On January 15, 2022, the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted.
In 1991, the Philippines experienced a massive eruption at Mount Pinatubo, making it the most explosive volcanic event globally. The amount of energy released was immense, showcasing its tremendous power.
The Tonga volcano has the potential to increase temperatures
In the Nature Climate Change journal, researchers primarily from Oxford University released a study in January 2023, one year after, which observed that the Tonga-Hunga volcanic eruption was exceptional in its ability to release a substantial volume of water into the atmosphere.
During most volcanic eruptions, the Earth undergoes a cooling process and the sun reflects the particles responsible for sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere.
According to independent research conducted by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the quantity of moisture it released into the atmosphere — approximately equal to 58,000 swimming pools the size of the Olympic ones — was counterbalanced and surpassed by this particular action too.
The Oxford group observed that Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai may lead to a temporary rise in global surface temperatures over several years, as water vapor functions as a greenhouse gas.
The Oxford group reported on the CarbonBrief website that the eruption had increased the likelihood that global temperatures would exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius by at least once by 2026, levels above pre-industrial.
2 warnings about the volcano research
The 2015 Paris Climate Accords, under which nations committed to endeavoring to remain below, represent a significant milestone in the aim to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
According to the study authors, there is an increased likelihood of surpassing the “imminent 1.5 C exceedance” at least once by 2026, with the probability of exceeding 1.5 C being raised by 7%. The volcano stated this.
Professor Pasquale Sellitto of the Interuniversity Laboratory of Atmospheric Systems highlighted two concerns about the Tonga research, which he described as “very reasonable,” in his own independent study.
Millán from NASA says that in order to better understand and analyze the impact of human activity on Hunga’s small contribution, more models need to be studied and run.
El Nino may cause a rise in temperatures
El Niño, which resurfaced in July, has been the recurring climatic phenomenon recognized as an additional element in the Pacific Ocean that was anticipated to elevate global temperatures this year.
Described by the German international broadcast news network Deutsche Welle, El Niño refers to the warming stage of an “unpredictable yet recurring change in wind patterns and sea surface temperatures across the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean.”
Its cooling period is referred to as La Nina, which we had encountered in the previous three years.
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Chris Hewitt, the head of climate services at the World Meteorological Organization, informed Deutsche Welle that the occurrence of such high temperatures, which we are currently witnessing this year, is more probable during the El Niño phenomenon.
And buckle up. We are unlikely to experience the complete impact of this El Niño until 2024.
Pollution regulations may also play a role
Another important factor that may be increasing the temperature is the pollution regulations imposed on international shipping.
The International Maritime Organization implemented new restrictions on maritime vessels in order to decrease their sulfur discharges.
Those recent guidelines took effect in 2020 and have significantly reduced sulfur discharges by over 80%, according to The Economist.
According to The Economist, instead of being absorbed below the oceans and in space, sunlight is bouncing back out, which means that fewer sulfur emissions from ships act as a cooling agent on the planet. This is explained as sulfur particles acting as a reflector of sunlight in the lower atmosphere.
The Economist stated that the conclusion of an ice age occurs when the Earth experiences an interglacial period, which is the current phase we are in. Another contributing element is.
The planet creates extra tropical wetlands that, as they decompose, produce methane gas, the changes in the atmosphere of which can contribute to the phenomenon of global warming.
None of this is to disregard global warming and the actual influence it has on the planet.
To comprehend the evolving Earth, it is necessary to take into account additional factors that may have fueled traditional climate change, leading to the acceleration that we observe.