Antarctic sea ice reaches record low for June, 17% below average

(Original title: World Meteorological Organization: Antarctic sea ice area hits record low in June)

On July 10, in Geneva, Switzerland, Omar Badour (right), an official of the World Meteorological Organization, explained the recent high temperature weather and the El Nino phenomenon at a press conference. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lian Yi

Data released by the World Meteorological Organization on the 10th showed that global sea surface temperatures in May and June hit record highs for the same period in history, and the Antarctic sea ice area also hit a record low in June since satellite observations began.

The World Meteorological Organization pointed out that the rise in global sea surface temperatures will affect the distribution of fisheries and ocean circulation, and have a chain reaction on the climate. In Ireland, the United Kingdom and around the Baltic Sea, meteorologists have observed extreme marine heat waves.

An assessment by the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European Union's climate monitoring agency, showed that the high temperatures in the North Atlantic were caused by a combination of short-term abnormal circulation in the atmosphere and long-term changes in the ocean, and were unrelated to El Niño, which has just formed in the tropical Pacific and is expected to affect temperatures later this year and in 2024.

The World Meteorological Organization said that the Antarctic sea ice area hit a record low in June since satellite observations began, 17% below the average level, significantly breaking the previous record for June.

The World Meteorological Organization said record-breaking heat on land and in the ocean could have devastating impacts on ecosystems and the environment. El Nino, currently in its early stages of development, is expected to further increase heat on land and in the ocean and lead to more extreme temperatures and marine heatwaves.

The World Meteorological Organization cited provisional analysis data from the Japan Meteorological Agency, showing that the global average temperature on July 7 was 17.24 degrees Celsius, which was 0.3 degrees Celsius higher than the record of 16.94 degrees Celsius set on August 16, 2016, during a strong El Niño year. Although this data has not yet been finalized, it is consistent with the preliminary analysis data of the Copernicus European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

Omar Badour, an official of the World Meteorological Organization, said the data provided new evidence of changes in global weather patterns due to climate change and the evolving El Nino phenomenon. (Reporter Wang Qibing)