Earth’s ‘greatest natural wonder’ faces existential threat from hottest ocean temperatures in 400 years
5 months ago

Earth’s ‘greatest natural wonder’ faces existential threat from hottest ocean temperatures in 400 years

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Great Barrier Reef, the largest living ecosystem on Earth, is facing an existential threat, scientists warn, as ocean temperatures reach their highest levels in 400 years. Sea surface temperatures in waters surrounding the Great Barrier Reef this year reached their hottest levels in more than 400 years, the study published in Nature on Thursday found. “The reef is in danger, and if we don’t divert from our current course, our generation will likely witness the demise of one of Earth’s great natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef,” Benjamin Henley, lead author of the research, said in a press briefing on Tuesday. To analyse the past temperature records for which data wasn’t available, the group of scientists drilled into coral and analysed the samples, similar to counting tree rings, to measure summer ocean temperatures dating back to 1618. open image in gallery Chart shows summer sea surface temperatures in the Coral Sea rising with the hottest temperatures recorded in recent years The reef is home to a wide variety of natural life, with 600 types of coral and 1,625 fish species alone.

Temperature Earth Great Temperatures Coral Reef Ocean Temperatures 400 Years Natural Wonder  ocean  greatest  hottest  existential  reef  temperature  threat  corals  study  natural  wonder  bleaching  earths  coral  temperatures  faces  great  rise

History of this topic

What climate records were broken in 2024?
2 weeks, 1 day ago

What climate records were broken in 2024?

Al Jazeera  

This year, 2024, is set to become the hottest on record, surpassing the previous high in 2023, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. The agreement aimed to have countries work towards reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, with a goal of limiting the global average surface temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels and striving to keep it …

The climate future: We're entering a world of falling GDP and overheated seas
4 weeks, 2 days ago

The climate future: We're entering a world of falling GDP and overheated seas

Live Mint  

Sitting down to write this newsletter, I was thinking about a way to introduce it that would chime in with the fact that we are in December. According to the November data of the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the average global surface temperature was 1.62 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-industrial levels. View Full Image In May, a working …

Two cooler sections of the Great Barrier Reef could survive high global temperatures: study
1 month, 1 week ago

Two cooler sections of the Great Barrier Reef could survive high global temperatures: study

ABC  

Amid growing concerns the Great Barrier Reef is reaching an environmental tipping point beyond repair, there is hope two sections of the natural wonder could persist even on a warming planet. Northern and southern sections of the Great Barrier Reef are predicted to stay 1 degree Celsius cooler than surrounding reefs in a high emission scenario in 2050. "Our understanding …

2024 set to be hottest year on record as temperatures breach 1.5C threshold
1 month, 4 weeks ago

2024 set to be hottest year on record as temperatures breach 1.5C threshold

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The WMO said the global average temperature for January to September 2024 was 1.54C above pre-industrial levels, based on …

European climate agency says this will likely be the hottest year on record — again
2 months ago

European climate agency says this will likely be the hottest year on record — again

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — For the second year in a row, Earth will almost certainly be the hottest it’s ever been. And for the first time, the globe this year reached more than 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming compared to the pre-industrial average, the European climate agency Copernicus said Thursday. Going over that number in 2024 doesn’t mean the overall trend line …

The oceans are weirdly hot. Scientists are trying to figure out why
4 months, 4 weeks ago

The oceans are weirdly hot. Scientists are trying to figure out why

NPR  

The oceans are weirdly hot. “This could be contributing to the warm temperatures we’ve seen in the last couple years,” says Andrew Gettelman, a climate scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and one of the authors of the forthcoming study. Recent research suggests that the answer is “No.” “I was very skeptical of the warming effect,” says Dessler, who is …

Highest ocean heat in 400 years poses 'existential threat' to Great Barrier Reef
5 months ago

Highest ocean heat in 400 years poses 'existential threat' to Great Barrier Reef

Raw Story  

The Great Barrier Reef recently experienced the highest ocean temperatures in at least four centuries and faces an "existential threat" due to repeated mass coral bleaching episodes, a study published Wednesday in Science found. "This attribution, together with the recent ocean temperature extremes, post-1900 warming trend, and observed mass coral bleaching, shows that the existential threat to the Great Barrier …

Great Barrier Reef waters were hottest in 400 years over the past decade, study finds
5 months ago

Great Barrier Reef waters were hottest in 400 years over the past decade, study finds

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Ocean temperatures in the Great Barrier Reef hit their highest level in 400 years over the past decade, according to researchers who warned that the reef likely won’t survive if planetary warming isn’t stopped. During that time, between 2016 and 2024, the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem and one of the most biodiverse, suffered …

Great Barrier Reef waters were hottest in 400 years over the past decade, study finds
5 months ago

Great Barrier Reef waters were hottest in 400 years over the past decade, study finds

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Ocean temperatures in the Great …

Great Barrier Reef endangered by hottest oceans in 400 years, study finds
5 months ago

Great Barrier Reef endangered by hottest oceans in 400 years, study finds

Al Jazeera  

Researchers say the world is losing ‘one of our icons’ as human activity fuels temperature increases. Ocean temperatures in the Great Barrier Reef have hit their highest level in 400 years over the past decade, researchers say, warning that the largest living ecosystem on Earth likely will not survive if planetary warming is not stopped. Ocean temperatures around the reef …

Scientists discover ideal temperature for all life on Earth
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Scientists discover ideal temperature for all life on Earth

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy All species on Earth appear to thrive at an “optimal” 20 degrees Celsius, according to …

Global heating breaches 1.5C threshold over full year for first time
11 months ago

Global heating breaches 1.5C threshold over full year for first time

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Global warming has exceeded 1.5C across an entire year for the first time, with January …

The planet is dangerously close to this climate threshold. Here’s what 1.5°C really means
11 months, 1 week ago

The planet is dangerously close to this climate threshold. Here’s what 1.5°C really means

LA Times  

The alarm bells are loud and clear. With a global average temperature of 58.96 degrees, Earth in 2023 was within striking distance of a dangerous limit: 2.7 degrees of warming over the preindustrial period, or 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. “At this point, it is really difficult to see a path to keeping …

Data Munching | We can't turn a blind eye to climate change when sea surface temperatures rise
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Data Munching | We can't turn a blind eye to climate change when sea surface temperatures rise

Hindustan Times  

Much has been written about how 2023 was the warmest year in the world in recorded history. On January 11, data from Copernicus Climate Change Service of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts confirmed that 2023 was the warmest ever year on record and by a massive margin. Sea surface temperatures — the temperature of the ocean’s surface layer …

2023 Was One Of The Coldest Years Of The Rest Of Your Life
11 months, 4 weeks ago

2023 Was One Of The Coldest Years Of The Rest Of Your Life

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING For the last couple of years, Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M University, has taken to X, formerly Twitter, to update a boilerplate response to the latest global temperature assessment. NOAA NCEI The two U.S. reports follow one on Tuesday from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, which similarly concluded that 2023 was the …

2023 was officially the hottest year on RECORD - with global temperatures close to the 1.5°C limit, scientists warn
1 year ago

2023 was officially the hottest year on RECORD - with global temperatures close to the 1.5°C limit, scientists warn

Daily Mail  

Scientists are increasingly linking extreme weather events with the warming of the planet, which is being largely caused by carbon emissions from fossil fuels. Pictured, a man pulls a bag of goods salvaged from a building as he wades through floodwaters on August 5, 2023 in Zhuozhou, Hebei Province south of Beijing, China A man cools off at a temporary …

Earth surpasses critical 2-degree warming threshold, European climate officials say
1 year, 1 month ago

Earth surpasses critical 2-degree warming threshold, European climate officials say

LA Times  

For the first time since record keeping began, Earth has surpassed a critical temperature threshold that scientists have long warned could unleash the worst effects of climate change. Explore the section Two degrees Celsius — or 3.6 degree Fahrenheit — is the internationally agreed upon upper limit of warming established by the 2015 Paris climate agreement. The agreement seeks to …

2023 ‘near certain’ to be hottest year humans have ever experienced, scientists say
1 year, 2 months ago

2023 ‘near certain’ to be hottest year humans have ever experienced, scientists say

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. "We can say with near certainty that 2023 will be the warmest year on record, and is currently 1.43C …

Climate scientists warn nature's 'anaesthetics' have worn off, now Earth is feeling the pain as ocean heating hits record highs
1 year, 4 months ago

Climate scientists warn nature's 'anaesthetics' have worn off, now Earth is feeling the pain as ocean heating hits record highs

ABC  

Satellites, ships and buoys monitoring the Earth have captured a significant rise in global ocean temperatures since the early 1980s. Georgia Institute of Technology climate scientist Annalisa Bracco said what made this year's ocean temperatures especially "peculiar" were how widespread the heat was. Dr Bracco said it was "very plausible" these warm ocean temperatures aided extreme weather events in 2023, …

World’s oceans set new temperature record as global warming intensifies
1 year, 5 months ago

World’s oceans set new temperature record as global warming intensifies

Al Jazeera  

The average ocean temperature has beat seasonal records since April of this year. The world’s oceans have set a new temperature record with the potential to threaten Earth’s climate, marine life and coastal communities. The temperature of the oceans’ surface hit 20.96 degrees Celsius on Friday, according to European Union climate observatory data. “While there are certainly short-term factors, the …

The likelihood that Earth briefly hits key warming threshold grows bigger and closer, UN forecasts
1 year, 7 months ago

The likelihood that Earth briefly hits key warming threshold grows bigger and closer, UN forecasts

Associated Press  

There’s a two-out-of-three chance that the world will temporarily hit a key warming limit within the next five years, the United Nations weather agency said Wednesday. Maybe it’ll be next year or the year after” that a year averages 1.5 degrees Celsius, said report lead author Leon Hermanson, a climate scientist at the United Kingdom’s Met Office. The temporary warming …

Global warming now more likely to breach 1.5°C threshold by 2027, scientists warn
1 year, 7 months ago

Global warming now more likely to breach 1.5°C threshold by 2027, scientists warn

The Hindu  

For the first time ever, global temperatures are now more likely than not to breach 1.5°C of warming within the next five years, the World Meteorological Organization said on May 17. With a 66% chance of temporarily reaching 1.5°C by 2027, "it's the first time in history that it's more likely than not that we will exceed 1.5°C," said Adam …

'Sounding the alarm…next five years may be hottest ever': UN weather agency
1 year, 7 months ago

'Sounding the alarm…next five years may be hottest ever': UN weather agency

Hindustan Times  

It is near-certain that 2023-2027 will be the warmest five-year period ever recorded, the United Nations warned Wednesday as greenhouse gases and El Nino combine to send temperatures soaring. Global temperatures are soon set to exceed the more ambitious target set out in the Paris climate accords, with a two-thirds chance that one of the next five years will do …

‘Off the charts’: UN report highlights rapid climate breakdown
1 year, 8 months ago

‘Off the charts’: UN report highlights rapid climate breakdown

Al Jazeera  

Record levels of greenhouse gases have caused “planetary scale changes on land, in the ocean and in the atmosphere”, a UN agency says in a report that shows the past eight years were the hottest ever recorded on Earth. Global sea levels are rising at more than double the pace they did in the first decade of measurements from 1993 …

Explained | World’s oceans warmest on record in 2022: study
1 year, 11 months ago

Explained | World’s oceans warmest on record in 2022: study

The Hindu  

The story so far: For the fourth year in a row, the world’s oceans recorded extreme heating in 2022 on account of anthropological activities like greenhouse gas emissions. A study conducted by researchers from 16 institutes worldwide and published in the Journal of Atmospheric Sciences analyses factors that drive heating trends in the world’s oceans. Rising ocean temperatures strengthen the …

Climate Crisis: World’s oceans hit record high heat in 2022
1 year, 11 months ago

Climate Crisis: World’s oceans hit record high heat in 2022

Live Mint  

When we think of the climate crisis, the first thing we usually think of is the way that global air temperatures are rising. As has been amply demonstrated by climate science, it’s the oceans that first absorb the excess heat generated by our burning of fossil fuels like oil and coal. The paper, Another Year Of Record Heat For The …

Oceans were hottest ever in 2022, says study
2 years ago

Oceans were hottest ever in 2022, says study

Firstpost  

More than 90 per cent of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions is absorbed in the oceans New Delhi: The world’s oceans in 2022 were recorded to have been the hottest ever, showing the extent to which human caused emissions have impacted the climate of the planet, according to a scientific analyses. “We are getting more extreme weather …

Past eight years eight hottest on record, UN report warns
2 years, 2 months ago

Past eight years eight hottest on record, UN report warns

Al Jazeera  

The UN’s weather and climate body outlines ‘chronicle of climate chaos’ as COP27 talks get under way in Egypt. The past eight years are on track to be the hottest ever recorded, a United Nations report has found, as UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that the planet was sending “a distress signal”. The UN’s weather and climate body released its …

Earth given 50-50 chance of hitting key warming mark by 2026
2 years, 8 months ago

Earth given 50-50 chance of hitting key warming mark by 2026

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The world is creeping closer …

Earth given 50-50 chance of hitting key warming mark by 2026
2 years, 8 months ago

Earth given 50-50 chance of hitting key warming mark by 2026

Associated Press  

The world is creeping closer to the warming threshold international agreements are trying to prevent, with nearly a 50-50 chance that Earth will temporarily hit that temperature mark within the next five years, teams of meteorologists across the globe predicted. With human-made climate change continuing, there’s a 48% chance that the globe will reach a yearly average of 1.5 degrees …

Earth given 50-50 chance of hitting key warming mark by 2026, report says
2 years, 8 months ago

Earth given 50-50 chance of hitting key warming mark by 2026, report says

LA Times  

The world is creeping closer to the warming threshold international agreements are trying to prevent, with nearly a 50-50 chance that Earth will temporarily hit that temperature mark within the next five years, teams of meteorologists across the globe predicted. With human-made climate change continuing, there’s a 48% chance that the globe will reach a yearly average of 1.5 degrees …

It’s Not Too Late to Stop Mass Extinction in the Ocean
55 years ago

It’s Not Too Late to Stop Mass Extinction in the Ocean

Wired  

A quarter of a billion years ago, things were not going well on planet Earth. Back then the planet was in the middle of the worst mass extinction event ever—much worse than the one that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago. “These environmental changes are also happening in the modern ocean today,” says Penn, a research associate …

Extreme heat waves in oceans become ‘new normal’, threaten marine life, study warns
2 years, 11 months ago

Extreme heat waves in oceans become ‘new normal’, threaten marine life, study warns

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Excessively warm ocean temperatures caused by climate change are the “new normal,” according to a …

Even 1.5C of global warming will be ‘catastrophic’ for coral reefs, study says
2 years, 11 months ago

Even 1.5C of global warming will be ‘catastrophic’ for coral reefs, study says

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Even limiting global temperature rises to 1.5C will be “catastrophic” for coral reefs, scientists have …

Ocean temperatures ‘relentlessly increasing’ due to climate crisis
2 years, 11 months ago

Ocean temperatures ‘relentlessly increasing’ due to climate crisis

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “The ocean heat content is relentlessly increasing, globally, and this is a primary indicator of human-induced climate change,” said …

2021 was the fifth-hottest year on record as emissions surge
3 years ago

2021 was the fifth-hottest year on record as emissions surge

Al Jazeera  

The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service says the last seven years were the warmest ‘by a clear margin’ since records began. The year 2021 was the world’s fifth hottest on record, while levels of planet-warming carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere hit new highs, European Union scientists have said. The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said in a report …

This is what the world looks like if we pass the crucial 1.5-degree climate threshold
3 years, 2 months ago

This is what the world looks like if we pass the crucial 1.5-degree climate threshold

NPR  

This is what the world looks like if we pass the crucial 1.5-degree climate threshold Enlarge this image toggle caption Branden Eastwood/AFP via Getty Images Branden Eastwood/AFP via Getty Images There's one number heard more than any other from the podiums at the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland: 1.5 degrees Celsius. By limiting the planet's warming to 1.5 …

Study suggests Australia’s Great Barrier Reef can still be saved, if global warming kept to 1.5C
3 years, 2 months ago

Study suggests Australia’s Great Barrier Reef can still be saved, if global warming kept to 1.5C

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has a chance of survival if global warming can be limited …

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef will survive if warming kept to 1.5 degrees, study finds
3 years, 2 months ago

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef will survive if warming kept to 1.5 degrees, study finds

CNN  

A study released on Friday by an Australian university looking at multiple catastrophes hitting the Great Barrier Reef has found for the first time that only 2% of its area has escaped bleaching since 1998, then the world’s hottest year on record. If global warming is kept to 1.5 degrees, the maximum rise in average global temperature that was the …

There’s a Silver Lining in the Extremely Bleak New Climate Report
55 years ago

There’s a Silver Lining in the Extremely Bleak New Climate Report

Slate  

The United Nations’ climate change research group issued a new report on Monday with an unequivocal finding: We’re in deep trouble. The worldwide cohort of 234 scientists who contributed to the report stated that humans are “unequivocally” responsible for this state of affairs, which will affect “all regions” of the globe—including supposedly climate-friendly cities—by hastening the frequency of heat waves, …

World will break dangerous heat barrier by 2025
3 years, 7 months ago

World will break dangerous heat barrier by 2025

Live Mint  

A new report from the World Meteorological Organization released on 27 May predicts that the world is poised to break a crucial heat barrier by 2025. The WMO Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update, a report produced by United Kingdom’s Met Office, states that there’s a 40% chance that at least one of the next five years is going to …

Intervention 'Could Buy 20 Years' for Declining Great Barrier Reef
3 years, 8 months ago

Intervention 'Could Buy 20 Years' for Declining Great Barrier Reef

News 18  

Using experimental “cloud brightening” technology and introducing heat-tolerant corals could help slow the Great Barrier Reef’s climate change-fuelled decline by up to 20 years, Australian scientists said Thursday. The reef faces “precipitous declines” in coral cover over the next five decades due to “intense pressure” from climate change, a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Royal Society Open Science said. …

Climate Change Tracker: World is at its hottest in 12,000 years
3 years, 11 months ago

Climate Change Tracker: World is at its hottest in 12,000 years

Live Mint  

Although human beings have been around for about 200,000 years, we have never had it as good as in the past 12,000 years or so. Around then, Earth entered a new geological epoch called the Holocene, one marked by mild temperatures and a stable climate, a period in which the human race thrived, built civilisations and developed sophisticated culture. A …

World's oceans continue to warm, despite reduced carbon emissions
3 years, 11 months ago

World's oceans continue to warm, despite reduced carbon emissions

India TV News  

Despite reductions in global carbon emissions due to the Covid-19 lockdown, the world's oceans in 2020 were the warmest in recorded history, according to a new study. The increase in heat within the oceans is responsible for the increasing trend of record-breaking global ocean temperatures, said the study. Cheng Lijing, lead author of the study and researcher at the Institute …

Climate Change Tracker: The global ocean heated up to record levels in 2020
3 years, 11 months ago

Climate Change Tracker: The global ocean heated up to record levels in 2020

Live Mint  

In the first week of 2021, 2020 was declared the joint-warmest year ever recorded, tying with 2016 for this dubious distinction. Prepared by a team of scientists from the US, China and Italy, the report states that not only was 2020 the hottest year on record for the global ocean, but also that the five hottest years have occurred since …

Climate Change Tracker: The world is heating up faster than we thought
4 years ago

Climate Change Tracker: The world is heating up faster than we thought

Live Mint  

Earlier this year, the World Meteorological Organization’s United In Science report had warned that between 2020-2024, there may be one or more months in which the world would breach the 1.5 degree Celsius heat barrier. That was a serious wake-up call, since the United Nations-led global effort, under the Paris Agreement, is to limit global temperature rise to 2 degree …

2021 should be the year humanity stops it war on nature pleads UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres
4 years, 1 month ago

2021 should be the year humanity stops it war on nature pleads UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres

Firstpost  

A new analysis by Climate Action Tracker scientists said public commitments to emission cuts if kept, would limit warming to about 2.6 degrees Celsius and possibly as low as 2.1 degrees Celsius. With new reports highlighting 2020’s record-breaking weather and growing fossil fuels extraction that triggers global warming, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered yet another urgent appeal to curb climate …

2020 set to be one of three hottest years on record despite La Niña’s cooling effect, report says
4 years, 1 month ago

2020 set to be one of three hottest years on record despite La Niña’s cooling effect, report says

CNN  

CNN — Record wildfires. The group’s secretary general Petteri Taalas said that in the past, unusually warm years – such as 2016 – coincided with a strong El Niño event, which is the opposite of La Niña and causes above average sea surface temperatures and thus warmer global temperatures. “Despite the current La Niña conditions, this year has already shown …

Australia's Great Barrier Reef Suffers Its Most Extensive Coral Bleaching Event
4 years, 7 months ago

Australia's Great Barrier Reef Suffers Its Most Extensive Coral Bleaching Event

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING SYDNEY, June 4 - Australia’s Great Barrier Reef suffered its most extensive coral bleaching event in March, with scientists fearing the coral recovers less each time after the third bleaching in five years. February 2020 was the hottest month on record since records began in 1900, Terry Hughes, Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral …

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