Records were once again broken last year for greenhouse gas levels, surface temperatures, ocean heat and acidification, sea level rise, and retreat [25] of glaciers [26], according to a new global report issued by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO [27]) March 19. The WMO State of the Global Climate 2023 [28] report finds that on an average day that year, nearly one third of the ocean surface was gripped by a marine heatwave, harming vital ecosystems and food systems—far beyond the already inflated levels seen in recent years [29]. Antarctic sea ice [26] reached its lowest extent on record—at one million square kilometers below the previous record year of 2022, an area equivalent to the size of France and Germany combined. Observed concentrations of the three main greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—reached record levels in 2022 and continued to increase in 2023, preliminary data shows. (UN News [31])
Some of this, especially the elevated ocean temperatures, was due to the 2023 El Niño [32] climate phenomenon. But University of St. Thomas researcher John Abraham told PBS NewsHour [33]: "This is off the charts. And it's more than we would have normally expected, even with an El Niño." He added wryly: "The scientific term is bonkers year."
The proliferation of extreme weather events in recent years has also been described as "global weirding [34]."
