Scientists detect sharp acceleration in global warming: Study

Global warming appears to have shifted into a faster gear After removing the effects of El Nino volcanic eruptions and solar cycles researchers found that the planet has warmed at roughly 035 degrees Celsius per decade over the past ten years compared with just under 02 degrees Celsius per decade from 1970 to 2015According to the study published on the Science Daily website the acceleration which became visible around 2013 to 2015 appeared across five major global temperature datasets with more than 98 per cent statistical certaintyGlobal warming has sped up since around 2015 according to a new analysis from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research PIKAfter removing the effects of natural temperature swings researchers found the first statistically significant evidence that the planets longterm warming rate is acceleratingOver the past decade global temperatures have risen at an estimated pace of about 035 degrees Celsius per decade depending on the dataset used By comparison the average warming rate from 1970 to 2015 was just under 02 degrees Celsius per decadeThe recent pace is higher than that of any previous decade since instrumental temperature records began in 1880 Scientists Isolate the LongTerm Warming SignalWe can now demonstrate a strong and statistically significant acceleration of global warming since around 2015 says Grant Foster a US statistics expert and coauthor of the study which was published today in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters as quoted in ScienceDailyWe filter out known natural influences in the observational data so that the noise is reduced making the underlying longterm warming signal more clearly visible Foster addedIn climate data noise refers to shortterm temperature changes that can temporarily hide or exaggerate the underlying trend El Nino for example can push global temperatures higher for a limited period by releasing heat from the tropical Pacific Ocean into the atmosphereVolcanic eruptions can have the opposite effect by sending particles into the atmosphere that reflect sunlight while changes in the Suns activity can also produce smaller temperature variationsTo separate these temporary influences from the broader warming trend the researchers analysed measurements from five widely used global temperature data sets NASA NOAA HadCRUT Berkeley Earth ERA5The adjusted data show an acceleration of global warming since 2015 with a statistical certainty of over 98 per cent consistent across all data sets examined and independent of the analysis method chosen explains Stefan Rahmstorf PIK researcher and lead author of the study as quoted in ScienceDailyWarming acceleration appears across five datasetsA statistical certainty of more than 98 per cent means the researchers found strong evidence that the change in the warming rate is real rather than the result of random variation in the dataThe same overall pattern appeared in all five temperature records even though the datasets are produced by different scientific organisations and use somewhat different methodsAfter the researchers adjusted for El Nino and the solar maximum the extreme warmth of 2023 and 2024 was reduced slightly in the analysis Even so both years remained the two warmest since instrumental records beganAcross all of the datasets the acceleration started to become visible in 2013 or 2014 The researchers describe the broader shift as beginning around 2015 when the evidence became clearerTwo statistical methods point to the same shiftTo determine whether the warming rate had changed since the 1970s the team used two statistical approaches The first was a quadratic trend analysis which tests whether the temperature curve is bending upward over time rather than rising at a constant rateThe second was a piecewise linear model This method divides the temperature record into separate periods and objectively identifies when the rate of warming appears to change Both approaches supported the conclusion that global warming has acceleratedStudy does not identify the causeThe research was designed to detect and measure the statistical acceleration not to determine exactly why it has occurredHowever the authors noted that climate models can produce periods in which warming speeds up In other words an increasing rate of warming is consistent with the range of behaviour represented in current climate modellingClimate models are computer simulations that use the laws of physics to estimate how the atmosphere oceans ice and land respond to greenhouse gases and other influences They do not predict every shortterm fluctuation perfectly but they help scientists evaluate longterm climate patterns and possible future changes15 degrees Celsius threshold could be exceeded before 2030If the warming rate of the past 10 years continues it would lead to a longterm exceedance of the 15 degrees Celsius limit of the Paris Agreement before 2030 says Stefan RahmstorfHow quickly the Earth continues to warm ultimately depends on how rapidly we reduce global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels to zero added Stefan Rahmstorf as quoted on the ScienceDaily websiteThe 15degC limit refers to the goal of restricting longterm global warming to 15degC above preindustrial temperatures A single year above that level does not by itself mean the Paris Agreement threshold has been permanently crossed Scientists generally focus on sustained warming over a longer periodThe findings suggest that Earth may now be warming considerably faster than it did during the final decades of the 20th century Whether that acceleration continues will depend heavily on future carbon dioxide emissions from coal oil and natural gasThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its 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