2016 is likely to be the hottest year ever recorded, says the UK Met Department in its global forecast. 2015 has already been registered as the hottest year along with the period of 2011-2015 being the hottest five year period.
The hottest year trend will continue in 2016 as well, making it even warmer. 2016 is likely to be between 0.72°C and 0.95°C above the long-term average of 14°C. One of the greatest environmental threats Global Warming and the natural El Niño phenomenon are the contributing factors of this temperature rise.
According to Michel Jarraud, the WMO director-general, El Niño may be responsible for 16 to 20 percent of the temperature rise. Also, longer-term averages show a rising temperature trend regardless of El Niño or the cooling counterpart La Niña.
As per this forecast, by the end of 2016, a three-year record of the hottest years ever will be set. Meanwhile, Britain is all set to record the hottest December in the last 70 years. Spring flowers including the daffodils were seen flowering as far as the Northern Ireland.
Global ocean temperatures have been on a high and areas including Australia, United States, Russia, South America, and Europe have witnessed record-breaking temperatures. Eight of the world’s ten warmest years have been recorded after the year 2005.
Even if 2016 is not the hottest ever, the year is going to be as warm as 2015. Also, greenhouse gases levels have been witnessing a new high each year for the last 30 years. El Nino is also likely to continue in 2016 resulting in a global temperature rise.
Image Credit: inhabitat.com
