Scorching heatwaves have taken center stage this summer, sweeping across multiple regions, and capturing everyone's attention.
The relentless conditions have not spared even the typically temperate coastal areas, intensifying concerns about the changing climate's impact on our world.
In the Middle East and Northern Africa, even with occasional respites from the summer heat, in this year temperatures have consistently surged to unprecedented heights, reaching around 50 Celsius in multiple locations.
The consequences have been devastating, with loss of life, property, and natural habitats, not to mention the outbreaks of destructive forest fires.
Scientists pointed to the convergence of two significant climate factors as the cause of this intensifying pattern: the Heat Dome and El Nino.
The Heat Dome, likened by The New York Times to a "soda bottle cap- trapping gas," takes shape from a high-pressure system in the upper atmospheric layers, acting as a lid that holds hot air in the lower atmospheric levels closer to the Earth's surface. This containment results in a notable temperature surge. This dome structure inhibits the upward movement of hot air and the downward descent of cold air while permitting sunlight penetration, further intensifying the heat in that atmospheric region. In a video interview with Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Professor Jonathan Buzan -- an expert of climate at the University of Bern in Switzerland -- noted that heat domes were not novel occurrences; it used to last only for a short period.
However, he said, "What's new this summer is that they have persisted for weeks and grown more intense".
Buzan continued, "In recent years, we have observed an increase in the recurrence of heat domes, surpassing the numbers seen in the previous decade, and they have become more lethal".
A study conducted by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) -- obtained by KUNA -- concluded "the rise in the prevalence of heat domes can be attributed to the significant temperature fluctuations in the Pacific Ocean," referring to the well-known climate anomaly known as "El Nino" phenomenon.
On July fourth, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) officially declared the onset of the El Nino phenomenon and predicted its persistence throughout the year.
El Nino stands out as one of the most potent climate fluctuations on Earth.
It emerges every two to seven years in tropical regions of the Pacific Ocean.
During the El Nino event, warm waters rise near the coast of South America and disseminate across the ocean, releasing substantial heat into the atmosphere. Professor Buzan explained how the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean ensures that the influence of El Nino is global, unlike heat domes that affect specific geographical regions.
Nonetheless, he emphasizes that the effects of these phenomena, whether heat domes or El Nino, were exacerbated by "Climate Change," prolonging their duration.
This amplification of impact was evident in places like Italy, Greece, and the Middle East, "where the change is more pronounced".
For the Middle East, Buzan anticipates an increase in heat domes over the next five years, especially in regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
This trajectory will likely result in even more severe heatwaves, accompanied by more potent tropical cyclones in the southern Arabian Peninsula.
This scenario can be averted only if the global community manages to limit Earth's temperature rise to 1.5 Celsius, he notes. The WMO forecasts that El Nino is to persist in the Pacific Ocean throughout the next months, leading to a warm conclusion to the year.
This projection implies that 2023 is to be the hottest year in the past 120,000 years.
This August marks a new record for ocean temperatures due to the heat absorbed from global warming.
The European Climate Change Service (Copernicus) reports that the average ocean temperature reached approximately 21 Celsius, significantly surpassing the average temperature for this time of year.
The northern Atlantic Ocean region witnessed "unprecedented heatwaves". This raises concerns about a new temperature surge since scientists have never observed this phenomenon in this area.
Scientists believe that March, not August, should typically mark the period when the oceans become warm.
Recent reports from the WMO predict an "above-normal" hurricane season this year in the Atlantic Ocean, with a 60 percent likelihood.
This forecast attributes the heightened likelihood to historically high surface temperatures and the influence of the El Nino phenomenon.
Oceans are essential in climate regulation, as they absorb heat and produce around half of the Earth's oxygen.
However, warmer waters possess a diminished capacity to absorb carbon gases, resulting in a scenario where more greenhouse gases persist in the atmosphere.
This situation accelerates the melting of glaciers flowing into the oceans, thereby contributing to rising sea levels.
These climate extremes evoke profound concerns about the future, given their catastrophic impact on all life forms, not just humans.
With the evaporation of water and escalating air temperatures, the destruction of crops, agricultural collapse, heat stress among workers, and upheaval of the global economy due to environmental imbalances are inevitable.
The frequency of forest fires, droughts, desertification, green space reduction, diminishing water bodies, and polar ice melt is accelerating.
Among the myriad aspects of climate change, heat is deemed by the United Nations as" the most lethal".
A case in point is Europe, where last summer saw the loss of 60,000 lives, a number expected to climb to 90,000 annually starting this year.
Over the past two decades, global heat-related fatalities have surged by approximately 75 percent, according to a report of "Lancet Countdown".
This publication, highly regarded in the UK, is dedicated to monitoring the nexus between climate change and public health.
In another video interview, Dr. Marina Romanello, at the helm of the Lancet Countdown report team, delves into the health ramifications.
"Continuous exposure to elevated temperatures day and night amplifies the prevalence of ailments such as cardiovascular, respiratory diseases, heat strokes, and psychological distress," Romanello, from the University of Cambridge says.
She elaborated on how high temperatures stress the body's internal mechanisms for thermal regulation, straining the heart, lungs, kidneys, and other physiological functions. Vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, and those struggling with heat adaptation are particularly at risk. She emphasized that given the inevitability of more frequent heatwaves, adjusting to higher temperatures is crucial". Strategies involve staying indoors or minimizing direct sun exposure while augmenting green spaces within urban areas effectively mitigating heat buildup. Energy-efficient cooling methods also play a pivotal role, she notes.
Romanello added, "With time, human physiology adapts to elevated temperatures, with brief heat exposures serving as training for adaptive physiological responses".
However, she raised a cautionary flag that prolonged escalation of temperatures to increasingly extreme levels challenges the body's adaptability. The rapid global acceleration of temperature rise surpasses the physiological adaptation rate, and "there are limits to the heat our bodies can accommodate". Recent research conducted by Imperial College in London substantiates that the extent of warming witnessed this summer would have remained "improbable" without the influence of climate change. Given the lack of foreseeable constraints on temperature elevation within a one-degree range, scientists express growing apprehension that the subsequent year, 2024, may entail even more severe climatic conditions.
Considering these developments, scientists underscore the imperative of readiness for heightened summer temperatures as "the new norm".
However, this calls for accelerated enhancement of societal adaptability, surpassing previous projections.
There remains the looming question, Can humanity muster the collective will to confront these impending challenges and chart a sustainable course for our planet's future? The next few years will likely yield the answer.
Source: Kuwait News Agency
