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December 2008 – Ice volume in the Arctic
in 2008 dropped to its second-lowest level
since measurements began, according to new
figures released by the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO).
The new figures show
that global warming is continuing apace
- 2008 was one of the warmest years in the
last century.
The report notes that
2008 was marked by climate extremes around
the world including devastating floods,
severe and persistent droughts, snow storms,
heatwaves and cold waves.
Cyclone Nargis killed
78,000 people in Myanmar, and a devastating
Atlantic hurricane season caused many casualties
and widespread destruction in the Carribbean,
Central America and the United States.
While the past 12 months
have generally been cooler than previous
years due to the La Niña weather
pattern, longer-term trends show that the
world is still warming due to climate change
– 2008 is likely to rank as the 10th warmest
year since records started in 1850.
Data shows that the
ten hottest years since 1850 have all been
since 1997, peaking in 2005 at 14.79 degrees
celsius.
The dramatic collapse
of a quarter of the ancient ice shelves
on Canada's Ellesmere Island in the Arctic
Ocean contributed to a shrinking of the
Arctic ice cover from 9,000 sq km a century
ago to just 1,000 sq km.
Meanwhile, the report
also shows that the Antartic ozone hold
is larger than in 2007 – growing from 25
million km2 to 27 million km2 in 2008.
The data is based on
research by WMO and several collaborating
research institutions based on information
collected from networks of land-based weather
stations, ships and buoys, and satellites.
Final updates and figures
for 2008 will be published in March 2009
in the annual WMO Statement on the Status
of the Global Climate.
