The average surface air temperature measured 55.81 degrees Fahrenheit, surpassing the 1991-2020 January average by 1.42 degrees Fahrenheit. This anomaly results in the global average temperature over the last 12 months soaring a substantial 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit above the pre-industrial average of 1850-1900. To put this in perspective, the Paris Agreement, from which President Donald Trump recently withdrew the U.S., had set a 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit limit to mitigate the severe consequences of climate change.
Moreover, global daily sea surface temperatures across the majority of the world’s oceans are significantly elevated, marking the second-highest January value ever recorded, just trailing 2024. Last month’s temperature spike defies historical global climate patterns, despite the absence of El Niño and the presence of La Niña conditions.
The magnitude and persistence of this temperature surge have left many climate experts bewildered, prompting them to question what other factors may be fueling this extraordinary rise. In addition to human-induced climate change and natural global climate cycles, emerging research indicates that the decline in atmospheric aerosols could play a crucial role in the rapid warming phenomenon.
Atmospheric aerosols are minuscule particles that reflect sunlight back into space, thereby lowering global temperatures. However, their levels have substantially decreased due to international efforts to combat air pollution in recent years. Consequently, more sunlight now reaches the Earth’s surface, generating a warming effect.
Over the years, the removal of aerosols from the atmosphere has been carried out without a full understanding of the potential repercussions of these actions. To unravel this complex puzzle, climate scientists eagerly anticipate the initial operational data from NASA’s latest Earth-observing satellite, PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem), launched almost a year ago. This data is expected to offer deeper insights into the behavior and interactions of various atmospheric aerosols.
The world has just witnessed its hottest January on record, underscoring the urgency of addressing the escalating climate crisis.
