In 2023, the global mean temperature soared to almost 1.5K above the pre-industrial level, surpassing the previous record by about 0.17K. Previous best-guess estimates of known drivers including anthropogenic warming and the El Niño onset fall short by about 0.2K in explaining the temperature rise. Utilizing satellite and reanalysis data, we identify a record-low planetary albedo as the primary factor bridging this gap. The decline is apparently caused largely by a reduced low-cloud cover in the northern mid-latitudes and tropics, in continuation of a multi-annual trend. Further exploring the low-cloud trend and understanding how much of it is due to internal variability, reduced aerosol concentrations, or a possibly emerging low-cloud feedback will be crucial for assessing the current and expected future warming.
Good for you! Shame you missed the previous piece on the AMOC collapse. — unenlightened
That information comes from climatologists, the same ones who say we're already in AGW. — frank
So the lecture is not denying AGW.
— Agree-to-Disagree
Ok. — frank
'Why is this warming period different and more concerning than all them other fluctuations?' — unenlightened
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