The total heat content of the world’s oceans (OHC) in 2019 was the warmest in recorded human history, according to a paper published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences.
More than 90% of the increasing heat from human-caused global warming accumulates in the ocean because of its large heat capacity.
“We found that 2019 was not only the warmest year on record, it displayed the largest single-year increase of the entire decade, a sobering reminder that human-caused heating of our planet continues unabated,” said Penn State’s Dr. Michael Mann, one of the co-authors. The gain in ocean heat between 2018 and 2019 was about 44 times as great as all the energy used by humans in one year.
HEMISPHERIC HIGHS AND LOWS
- Hottest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere: 53.1°C (127.6°F) at Shahdad, Iran, 2 July
- Coldest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere: -60.5°C (-76.9°F) at GEOsummit, Greenland, 14 Januar
- Hottest temperature in the Southern Hemisphere: 49.9°C (121.8°F) at Nullarbor, Australia, 19 Decembe
- Coldest temperature in the Southern Hemisphere: -82.7°C (-116.9°F) at Dome A, Antarctica, 15 June
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HEAT RECORDS 2019
- Togo: 43.5°C (110.3°F), 28 March (later tied on 4 April)
- Jamaica: 39.1°C (102.4°F) at Shortwood Teacher’s College, 22 June
- France: 46.0°C (114.8°F) at Verargues, 28 June
- Cuba: 39.1°C (102.4°F) at Veguitas (Cuba), 30 June
- Belgium: 41.8°C (107.2°F) at Begijnendijk, 25 July
- Germany: 41.2°C (108.7°F) at Tonisvorst and Duisburg, 25 July
- Luxembourg: 40.8°C (105.4°F) at Steinsel, 25 July\Netherlands: 40.7°C (105.3°F) at Gilze Rijen, 25 July
- United Kingdom: 38.7°C (101.7°F) at Cambridge, 25 July
- Norway: 35.6°C (96.1°F) at Laksfors, 27 July (record tied)\Syria: 50.0°C (122.0°F) at Hasakah, 13 August***
