Breaking records in 2005 - Climate Change
Tied! Record Heat
According to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 2005 was as hot as the previous warmest year on record, the 1998 ENSO year. Additionally, NASA, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the UK Meteorological Office agree that 2005 was the hottest year on record for the Northern Hemisphere, at roughly 0.72° C (1.3° F) above the historical average.
El Niño. Amazon, Roraima State. Natural Savannah burnt during severe drought and forest fires.
© WWF-Canon/Nigel DICKINSON
Record Droughts Around the Planet
A drought in the Amazon this year is a multidecadal if not century record. The western United States also continued its multiyear drought.
Least Icy Arctic Ever
In September of 2005, the Arctic sea ice extent (area covered) was the least ever recorded by satellites. Continuing a 9.8% per decade decline of perennial sea ice cover, which is the thicker ice that normally does not disappear in the summer. The present decline makes the current sea ice extent about 1.3 million km2 (500,000 square miles or roughly the size of Peru) smaller than the historic average (1979 to 2000).
Caribbean Waters Hottest on Record
Waters in the Caribbean were hotter for longer than ever before measured by regional monitoring systems. This resulted in extensive bleaching throughout the region, from Colombia to the Florida Keys. Only this year's record breaking hurricane activity limited additional bleaching.
Five Records Broken by 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season:
In fact, although hurricane season officially ended on the last day of November, Hurricane Epsilon was still blowing in the Atlantic into December.
- Most Named Storms
Twenty-six named storms, exceeding the official name list and moving through the first five letters of the Greek alphabet. The United States National Hurricane Center predicted a large year but estimated 18-21. - Most Hurricanes
Fourteen became hurricanes, meaning that winds exceeded 119 km per hour (74 mph). The previous record was 12 hurricanes in one year. - Most Category Five Storms
This year had five storms with winds over 249 kph (155 mph) - Most Storms Hitting the United States
Four storms made landfall - Most Expensive Hurricane Damage
Figures are still not final for the 2005 season, however Hurricane Katrina alone is already estimated at "over US$100 Billion total losses" 1
Time to Take Action!
Events like these, overlayed on the recent dramatic findings of a slowing Gulf Stream2, focus more attention on our need to take decisive action on climate change. Limiting climate change to less than a 2°C (3.6°F) global average increase is key to limiting dangerous climate responses such as these which punctuated 2005.
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Notes
- Insurance Industry Institute
- Bryden et al. 2005 Slowing of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation at 25° N. Nature 438: 655-657
