BRUSSELS (Reuters) – This past June was the hottest June globally on record in terms of sea and air temperatures, according to a statement by the EU-backed Copernicus Climate Change Service.
“The month was the warmest June globally at just over 0.5°C above the 1991-2020 average, exceeding June 2019 – the previous record – by a substantial margin,” the Copernicus report said.
The body bases its findings on computer-generated analyses using billions of data from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world.
Copernicus said Europe experienced record temperatures during the month while parts of North America, Asia and eastern Australia were significantly warmer than usual for the time of year.
The sea temperature rose to a new record in June due to longer term changes and in part due El Nino, a natural climate phenomenon that fuels tropical cyclones in the Pacific and boosts rainfall.
“Exceptionally warm sea surface temperature anomalies were recorded in the north Atlantic…Extreme marine heatwaves were observed around Ireland, the U.K. and in the Baltic Sea,” it said.
Antarctic sea ice hit its lowest extent for the month since satellite observations began, at 17% below the average, and broke a previous record June low, Copernicus added.
(Reporting by Julia Payne; Editing by Ros Russell)
