Climate change
Another record month: March warmer than any previous one
According to data from the EU climate change service Copernicus, March was warmer than ever compared to the respective months of the previous year. photo
© Annette Riedl/dpa
The year 2023 was the warmest on record. And the new year continues to bring new extremes.
Records in a row: For the tenth time in a row, a month is compared to the respective Months last year were warmest. According to data from the EU climate change service Copernicus, March was also warmer worldwide than any previous March since records began. The data used by Copernicus goes back to 1950, and some earlier data is also available.
“March 2024 continues the string of climate records being broken for both air and sea surface temperatures, with the tenth consecutive record month,” said Copernicus Deputy Director Samantha Burgess.
The air temperature at the earth’s surface averaged 14.14 degrees in March, the service said. That is 0.73 degrees more than the average for the reference period from 1991 to 2020 and 0.10 degrees more than the warmest March recorded so far in 2016.
March was 1.68 degrees warmer than the pre-industrial reference period
Compared to the period 1850 to 1900, the pre-industrial reference period, the month was 1.68 degrees warmer, it said. The global average temperature for the past twelve months (April 2023 to March 2024) is the highest on record and is 1.58 degrees above the pre-industrial average. However, that does not mean that the Paris 1.5 degree target has been missed, as longer-term average values are being looked at.
The European Union’s climate change service Copernicus regularly publishes data on surface temperatures, sea ice cover and precipitation. The findings are based on computer-generated analyzes that incorporate billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world.