Saturday, March 15, 2025

El Nino in 2025?

The trends on the image below indicate that temperatures keep rising and that the rise may accelerate soon.


Will a new El Niño emerge in the course of 2025?

The probabilities of El Niño conditions are expected to rise in the course of 2025. Moving from the bottom of a La Niña to the peak of a strong El Niño can make a difference of more than 0.5°C, as illustrated by the image below.

[ Temperature rise due to El Niño from earlier post ]
The image below, adapted from NOAA, shows monthly temperature anomalies colored by ENSO values.

[ temperature anomalies through February 2025 colored by ENSO values, click to enlarge ]

Will a new El Niño emerge in the course of 2025? The image below shows NOAA ENSO probabilities issued March 13, 2025. 


The image below shows that the temperature has been rising strongly recently in the Niño 3.4 area (inset). 

The potential for a huge temperature rise within a few months time

Earth's temperature imbalance is growing, as emissions and temperatures keep rising. In a cataclysmic alignment, the upcoming El Niño threatens to develop while sunspots are higher than expected. Sunspots are predicted to peak in July 2025. The temperature difference between maximum versus minimum sunspots could be as much as 0.25°C. 

There are further mechanisms that could accelerate the temperature rise, such as reductions in aerosols that are currently masking global warming. 

[ Arctic sea ice volume, click to enlarge ]
The temperature rise comes with numerous feedbacks such as loss of sea ice, loss of lower clouds, more water vapor in the atmosphere and changes in wind patterns and ocean currents that could cause extreme weather events such as forest fires and flooding to increase in frequency, intensity, duration, ubiquity and area covered, and oceans to take up less heat, with more heat instead remaining in the atmosphere. 

The self-reinforcing nature of many of these feedbacks could cause the temperature rise to accelerate strongly and rapidly within a few months time. 

Furthermore, the impact of one mechanism can trigger stronger activity in other mechanisms. Low Arctic sea ice volume (above image on the right) can trigger destabilization of hydrates at the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean, resulting in eruptions of huge amounts of methane that in turn speeds up thawing of permafrost. 

Climate Emergency Declaration

The situation is dire and the precautionary principle calls for rapid, comprehensive and effective climate action to reduce the damage and to improve the situation, as described in this 2022 post, where needed in combination with a Climate Emergency Declaration, as discussed at this group.



Links

• Copernicus - Global surface air temperature 
https://pulse.climate.copernicus.eu

• NOAA - Monthly Temperature Anomalies Versus El Niño/La Niña through February 2025 

• NOAA - EL NIÑO/SOUTHERN OSCILLATION (ENSO)

• Climate Reanalyzer 

• Sunspots 

• Transforming Society
https://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2022/10/transforming-society.html

• Climate Plan
https://arctic-news.blogspot.com/p/climateplan.html

• Climate Emergency Declaration
https://arctic-news.blogspot.com/p/climate-emergency-declaration.html


Saturday, March 8, 2025

Daily carbon dioxide crosses 430 ppm

[ Temperature anomaly through February 2025 ]
The above image shows that monthly temperature anomalies have been more than 1.5°C above 1903-1924 (custom base, not pre-industrial) for 20 consecutive months (July 2023 through February 2025).

The temperature anomaly is rising rapidly, the red line (2-year Lowess Smoothing trend) points at a 2°C rise in 2026 (compared to 1903-1924, which - as said - is not pre-industrial).


As the above image shows, the February 2025 temperature anomalies were particularly high over the Arctic, as high as 11.7°C and reflecting very high temperatures of the water of the Arctic Ocean. This is a very dangerous situation, as discussed elsewhere in this post. 

The image below confirms the very high Arctic temperature anomalies in February 2025. 



The image below illustrates the threat of a huge temperature rise. The red trend warns that the temperature could increase at a terrifying speed soon. The global surface air temperature was 13.87°C on March 8, 2025, the highest temperature on record for this day. This is the more remarkable since this record high temperature was reached during a La Niña. 


The shading in the above image highlights the difference between El Niño conditions (pink shading) and La Niña conditions (blue shading). An El Niño pushes up temperatures, whereas La Niña suppresses temperatures. We're currently in a La Niña, so temperatures are suppressed, but this is predicted to end soon. NOAA predicts a transition away from La Niña to occur next month.

The transition from La Niña to El Niño is only one out of ten mechanisms that could jointly cause the temperature rise to accelerate dramatically in a matter of months, as described in a previous post. Another one of these mechanisms is the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations. 

Increase in carbon dioxide 

The daily average carbon dioxide (CO₂) at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, was 430.60 parts per million (ppm) on March 7, 2025, the highest daily average on record. To find higher levels, one needs to go back millions of years. 
Carbon dioxide typically reaches its annual maximum in May, which means that even higher daily averages can be expected over the next few months. The image below shows that this reading of 430.6 ppm at Mauna Loa is way higher than the highest daily averages recorded in 2024. 
 

The image below shows the daily average for March 7, 2025, marked in blue and with an arrow pointing at it. The image shows that weekly averages are also at a record high, 428.1 ppm, higher than the highest weekly average in 2024. The monthly average for February 2025 was 427.09 ppm, higher than the highest monthly average in 2024. 

The annual increase in CO₂ at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, is accelerating, as illustrated by the image below. 

[ click on images to enlarge ]
A trend, based on 2015-2024 annual data, points at 1200 ppm CO₂ getting crossed in the year 2032, as illustrated by the image below.

[ from an earlier post ]
The above trend illustrates that the clouds tipping point could get crossed in early 2032 due to rising CO₂ alone, which on its own could push temperatures up by an additional 8°C. The clouds tipping point is actually at 1200 ppm CO₂e, so when growth of other greenhouse gases and further mechanisms is taken into account, the tipping point could be crossed much earlier than in 2033.

Increase in methane

Methane in the atmosphere could be doubled soon if a trend unfolds as depicted in the image below. A rapid rise is highlighted in the inset and reflected in the trend. 

[ from earlier post ]
The trend is based on 22 consecutive global monthly averages as calculated by NOAA (from January 2023 through October 2024) and has a R-squared value of 1, indicating that the trend constitutes a perfect fit of the data.

The period of 22 months was selected as the resulting trend strongly reflects the steep rise in methane that took place over the four most recent months for which data are available (as highlighted in the inset on the image). One could argue that seasonal variations could reduce the growth over the coming months, but on the other hand, a huge rise in methane could occur soon due to eruptions of methane from clathrates at the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean.

The trend points at a doubling of methane by March 2026. If the trend would continue, methane concentrations in the atmosphere would by September 2026 increase to more than triple the most recent value, and would increase to more than fourfold the most recent value by the end of 2026.

A rise like the one depicted in the trend could eventuate as rising ocean heat destabilizes methane hydrates contained in sediments at the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean. The temperature rise in the Arctic would accelerate since the methane would have a huge immediate impact on temperatures over the Arctic and cause depletion of hydroxyl, of which there is very little in the atmosphere over the Arctic in the first place. Such a rise in methane would also dramatically increases in tropospheric ozone and in stratospheric water vapor. A large increase in methane over the Arctic would also trigger massive wildfires and devastate terrestrial permafrost, resulting in huge amounts of further emissions.

Sea ice loss

At the moment, more sunlight reaches the Southern Hemisphere than the Northern Hemisphere. Consequently, low sea ice on the Southern Hemisphere results in a lot less sunlight getting reflected back into space and a lot more sunlight instead getting absorbed by the surface globally. 

The image below illustrates that global sea ice area has been at a record daily low since the start of February 2025. 

[ Arctic sea ice extent, click to enlarge ]
Sea ice extent is the total region with at least 15% sea ice cover. Sea ice extent can include holes or cracks in the sea ice and melt ponds on top of the ice, all having a darker color than ice. Sea ice area is the total region covered by ice alone. Sea ice area (image below) is a more critical measure in regard to albedo than sea ice extent (image on the right), so it makes sense to look at sea ice area, rather than at sea ice extent.

Over the next few months, the state of Arctic sea ice will become progressively more important regarding reflectivity, as progressively more sunlight will reach the Northern Hemisphere with the change in seasons. The temperature of the water of the Arctic Ocean could rise dramatically due to low Arctic sea ice. 
[ Arctic sea ice volume, click to enlarge ]
Warmer water flowing into the Arctic Ocean causes Arctic sea ice to shrink not only in extent and area, but even more so in thickness and thus volume, diminishing its capacity to act as a buffer that consumes ocean heat entering the Arctic Ocean from the North Atlantic and from the Pacific Ocean.

As sea ice thickness decreases, less incoming ocean heat can be consumed by melting the sea ice from below, while ocean heat is rising. An increasing proportion of the incoming ocean heat will therefore contribute to higher temperatures of the water of the Arctic Ocean. There is a point beyond which the rise in ocean heat will accelerate dramatically.

Similarly, there is a point beyond which thawing of permafrost on land and melting of glaciers can no longer consume heat, and all further heat will instead warm up the surface.
[ from earlier post ]
The Sun will reach its most northerly position on June 21, 2025 (Solstice). Around this time of year, the sunlight has less distance to travel through the thinner atmosphere over the Arctic, so less sunlight gets absorbed or scattered before reaching the surface.

[ from Insolation ]
In addition, the high angle of the Sun produces long days, while the sunlight is also concentrated over a smaller area. Above the Arctic Circle, the Sun does not set at this time of year, so solar radiation continues all day and night. During the months of June and July, insolation over the Arctic is higher than anywhere else on Earth.

Further mechanisms
 
Another mechanism is sunspots, which are predicted to reach a peak in this cycle in July 2025 and sunspots to date in this cycle are higher than predicted. 

Yet another mechanism is reductions in cooling aerosols. According to James Hansen et al. (2023), reductions in cooling aerosols from shipping may well be responsible for much of the acceleration in the recent rise in temperature and the increase in the Earth's Energy Imbalance.

For more on mechanisms, see also the earlier post Mechanisms behind a steep rise in temperature

Climate Emergency Declaration

The situation is dire and the precautionary principle calls for rapid, comprehensive and effective climate action to reduce the damage and to improve the situation, as described in this 2022 post, where needed in combination with a Climate Emergency Declaration, as discussed at this group.




Links

• NASA - Goddard Institute for Space Studies - surface temperature
https://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp

• Climate Reanalyzer
https://climatereanalyzer.org

• pre-industrial
https://arctic-news.blogspot.com/p/pre-industrial.html

• Extinction
https://arctic-news.blogspot.com/p/extinction.html

• Global surface air temperature
https://pulse.climate.copernicus.eu

• NOAA - Global Monitoring Laboratory - monthly trends in CO₂
https://gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends/monthly.html

• NOAA - Global Monitoring Laboratory
https://gml.noaa.gov/dv/iadv/graph.php?code=MLO&program=ccgg&type=ts

• Clouds tipping point
https://arctic-news.blogspot.com/p/clouds-feedback.html

• Kevin Pluck - seaice.visuals.earth
https://seaice.visuals.earth

• NSIDC - National Snow and Ice Data Center
https://nsidc.org

• Danish Meteorological Institute - Arctic sea ice volume and thickness
https://ocean.dmi.dk/arctic/icethickness/thk.uk.php

• Albedo
https://arctic-news.blogspot.com/p/albedo.html

• Insolation
https://arctic-news.blogspot.com/p/insolation.html

• Sunspots
https://arctic-news.blogspot.com/p/sunspots.html

• Global warming in the pipeline - by James Hansen et al. (2023)









Thursday, March 6, 2025

Could Earth Reach an 18°C Rise by December 2026?

An analysis by Bob Cohen with Grok 3

Sam Carana’s Arctic News blog posits a potential 18°C temperature rise above pre-industrial levels by December 2026, driven by ten amplifying mechanisms—ENSO shifts, sunspot peaks, aerosol decline, albedo loss, permafrost thaw, methane eruptions, clouds tipping, ocean heat anomalies, fluorinated gases, and wildfires.

Prompted by this, I queried Grok 3 (xAI) to model the trajectory and impacts, integrating Kris Van Steenbergen’s February 25, 2025, observation: the Northern Hemisphere (NH) has hit +3°C (1850-1900 baseline), with Arctic CO2 at 440 ppm, permafrost thawing rapidly, and sea ice at wafer-thin levels. 

https://x.com/KrVaSt/status/1894355964012224991

https://x.com/KrVaSt/status/1880203382541193694

Here’s a detailed rundown of the run-up to this catastrophic threshold, assessing feasibility and consequences for crops, food stocks, societal stability, and extreme responses.

Temperature Trajectory: From 3°C to 18°C
 
Starting at Kris’s NH +3°C (February 2025), we adjust March 2025 to a global mean of 2-2.5°C (vs. NOAA’s 1.5°C 2024 baseline), reflecting Arctic amplification (440 ppm CO2, ~14 ppm/year rise).

Sam’s mechanisms suggest an exponential curve, with NH warming doubling in speed (0.1-0.2°C/decade historical to 1-2°C/year). Using an exponential fit (T(t) = T₀ + A·(e^(kt) - 1)), where T₀ = 2.5°C, T(1.83 years) = 18°C, k ≈ 2.1, A ≈ 2.5: 

July 2025: 5-6°C global (NH 7-8°C). Sunspots peak (#2), El Niño strengthens (#1), and early albedo loss (#5) from a shrinking Arctic ice extent (13.892 million km² trending to <1 million km²) drive a 2.5-3.5°C rise from March.

December 2025: 9-11°C global (NH 11-13°C). Double Blue Ocean Event (#5), permafrost methane releases (#6), and latent heat loss (#6) accelerate—CO₂e nears 600-700 ppm (CH₄ doubling underway).

July 2026: 15-17°C global (NH 17-19°C). Clouds tipping point (~1200 ppm CO₂e, #7) adds ~8°C (Sam’s estimate), methane doubles, water vapor surges (2.1°C, #7). NH doubles global rate. 

December 2026: 18°C global (NH 20-22°C). Full cascade—ocean heat (#8), wildfires (#9), and fluorinated gases (#10) seal the endgame.
This ~15.5-16°C global rise over 21 months (0.74-0.76°C/month, NH 1-2°C/month in 2026) aligns with Sam’s stacked feedbacks and Kris’s “uncontrollable” NH warming, fueled by 440 ppm CO2 and ice/permafrost collapse.

Crop Production Collapse At 5-6°C by July 2025, staple crops face severe stress: Wheat: Optimal 15-20°C; US Midwest, Ukraine hit 35-40°C—yields drop 6-10% per 1°C (30-50% loss). 
Rice: 20-35°C max; Southeast Asia (India, Vietnam) at 40-45°C—20-40% reduction. 
Corn: 35°C limit; US Corn Belt at 40-45°C—40-50% loss. 
Soy: Brazil, US at 35-45°C—30-40% decline. 
El Niño (#1) droughts (Australia, South America) and floods (#8, India) cut yields further (20-30%).
Global production falls 40-60%—tropics near total loss, cooler zones (Siberia) insufficient to offset.
By December 2025 (9-11°C), losses reach 60-80%;
July 2026 (15-17°C), agriculture ceases—soil temps exceed seed tolerance, pollinators extinct. 

Crop Price Spikes
 
Baseline (March 2025): wheat $250/MT, rice $500/MT, corn $200/MT, soy $400/MT.
Crop price at July 2025’s 40-60% drop:
Wheat: $500-$750/MT (100-200% rise)—stocks (280M MT, USDA 2024) buffer briefly, but panic doubles rates.
Rice: $1,250-$2,000/MT (150-400%)—Asia-centric collapse, export bans (e.g., India). Corn: $400-$700/MT (100-250%)—feed crisis spikes meat costs. Soy: $800-$1,200/MT (100-200%)—oil demand surges.
Spikes begin June 2025 as NH harvests (wheat, corn) falter—200-400% by July, 500-1,000% (wheat $1,250+, rice $5,000+) in worst-case zones by December 2025 (9-11°C).

Food Stock Depletion

U.S.: 290-300M MT (grains 280M, processed 10-20M)—1-1.5 years normal use. 
July 2025 (5-6°C): 40-60% crop loss, panic rate (20-40M MT/month); 
December 2025 (9-11°C): 60-120M MT left; 
July 2026 (15-17°C): <20M MT; depleted early-mid 2026 (12-14 months). 

Australia: 22-28M MT (grains 20-25M)—1-1.5 years. 
July 2025: 20-50% loss, 1-3M MT/month; 
December 2025: 5-15M MT; 
July 2026: <5M MT; gone mid-2026 (12-15 months). 

NH doubling speed (1-2°C/month) nudges U.S. depletion to early 2026—stocks vanish at 14-16°C. 

Distribution Dynamics

U.S. July 2025: FEMA controls 1-5% (1-15M MT), National Guard distributes to hubs (Denver, 50-70% reach); commercial 95% rationed—riots, black markets ($1,000/MT wheat). 
December 2025 (9-11°C): Military seizes 20-30%, 30-50% delivered—warlords rule rest. 

Australia July 2025: ADF holds 5-10% (1-2M MT) for cities (Sydney, 70-80% reach); rural hoards—refugees get scraps. 
December 2025: ADF 20-30%, 50-70% reach—rural warlords take over. 

By July 2026 (15-17°C), both see <10% distribution—militias scavenge remnants. 

Societal and Political Collapse

U.S. Elections 2026: November 8 unfeasible—D.C. fractures at 9-11°C (December 2025), collapses at 15-17°C (July 2026). No FEC, power, or voters—midterms die late 2025. 
Trump’s Tariffs: Imposed February 2025 (25% Canada/Mexico, 10% China), end December 2025 (9-11°C)—inflation (6-8%), trade collapse, and riots force reversal. 
MLB: 2025 World Series (October, 6-8°C) limps on—half-empty, generator-run; 2026 canceled at 15-17°C—stadiums turn shelters. 

India and China

July 2025 (5-6°C): 1.2-1.3B each—rice/wheat down 30-50%, 5-10% die-off.
December 2025 (9-11°C): 700-900M—60-80% crop loss, 20-30% gone.
July 2026 (15-17°C): 300-500M—Himalayas, Tibet delay; 50-60% dead.
December 2026 (18°C): 50-100M—wet-bulb 36-40°C ends it.

Nuclear Winter Gambit

At 9-11°C (December 2025), Russia might fire first—15-20 warheads (NYC, London, Siberia forests)—5-10 Tg soot, 5-15°C cooling. 
Motive: Arctic feedbacks (440 ppm CO2, methane doubling). 
Outcome: Brief respite, billions die—18°C rebounds post-fallout.

Plausibility

IPCC’s 4-5°C by 2100 contrasts with Sam’s 18°C in 22 months—an extreme stack of feedbacks (clouds 8°C, vapor 2.1°C, methane 1.1°C). 

Kris’s NH +3°C (440 ppm CO2) and doubling speed (1-2°C/month) make 5-10°C by 2026 plausible if tipping points cascade; 18°C remains a theoretical max. 

Even 5°C triggers collapse—18°C is existential.

Conclusion

From 3°C NH (March 2025) to 18°C global (December 2026), crops crash by July 2025 (40-60%), prices spike (200-400%), stocks deplete mid-2026 (14-16°C), and civilization unravels—tariffs end, elections vanish, nukes fly. 

Sam’s mechanisms, amplified by Kris’s Arctic data, paint a dire warning. 

Full details available—thoughts, group?




Wednesday, March 5, 2025

How to respond to the threat of a huge temperature rise


The above image illustrates the threat of a huge temperature rise. The red trendline warns that the temperature could increase at a terrifying speed soon. 

Mechanisms contributing to a huge acceleration in the temperature rise

At first glance, the data may seem to disagree with such a rise, temperature anomalies even appear to have come down recently. However, a closer look at the shading in the image highlights the difference between El Niño conditions (pink shading) and La Niña conditions (blue shading). An El Niño pushes up temperatures, whereas La Niña suppresses temperatures. 

We're currently in a La Niña, so temperatures are suppressed, but this is predicted to end soon. NOAA predicts a transition away from La Niña to occur next month, as illustrated by the image below. 


Later this year, a new El Niño may emerge, which may push up the temperature dramatically. 

Importantly, ENSO is only one out of ten mechanisms that could jointly cause the temperature rise to accelerate dramatically in a matter of months, as described in a previous post and with further details for some of them following below. 

[ SSTA and wind, click to enlarge ]
An important mechanism driving up the temperature is rising ocean heat. The image on the right shows a sea surface temperature anomaly of 9.7°C (17.4°F) versus 1981-2011 at the green circle south of Africa on March 5, 2025.

The image also shows the impact of high sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) on the Jet Stream (250 hPa), with the Jet Stream going circular in two areas with high sea surface temperature anomalies.

These mechanisms interact and can also amplify each other dramatically, in particular rising ocean heat, deformation of the Jet Stream and shrinking sea ice.

[ click on image to enlarge ]
As the above compilation image shows, the Jet Stream (250 hPa) is forecast to go circular in three areas on the Northern Hemisphere and reach speeds as high as 216 km/h (134 mph, circle) over Greenland on March 11, 2025 06 UTC, pushing a lot of heat toward Baffin Bay (left panel). As a result, temperatures over Baffin Bay are forecast to be as much as 30°C higher than 1979-2000 (right panel).

[ Arctic sea ice volume, click to enlarge ]
The above image shows that Arctic sea ice area has been at a record daily low since the start of February 2025.  Importantly, Arctic sea ice volume has been at a record daily low for more than a year, as illustrated by the image on the right. 

There has been little to no sunshine over the Arctic over the past few months (Spring has only just started), so rising ocean heat is obviously contributing strongly to this extremely low Arctic sea ice volume. 

A recent study lead by Sohail describes how cold, fresh meltwater from Antarctica migrates north, filling the deep ocean as it goes and causing changes to the density structure of the ocean, leading to an overall slowdown in the current. 

[ from Sohail et al. (2025) ]
The above image, from the study, depicts how this could lead to reduced Antarctic Bottom Water. One danger is that less ocean heat reaching the seafloor will result in more heat accumulating at the surface and in the atmosphere, as discussed in an earlier post. A weaker current may also allow more warm water to penetrate southwards, and faster ice melting could then lead to further weakening of the current, commencing a vicious spiral of current slowdown, says Taimoor Sohail.

As illustrated by the image below, global sea ice area has been at a record daily low since February 2025. If this situation continues, a huge amount of sunlight that was previously reflected back into space will instead be absorbed by the surface—increasingly so on the Northern Hemisphere over the coming months, with the change in seasons. 

The loss of Earth's albedo (reflectivity) over the years is illustrated by the graph below, by Eliot Jacobson.

[ Image by Eliot Jacobson ]
What to expect

Some may question whether the temperature could rise as high as depicted in the red trendline in the image at the top. Others may question whether such a huge temperature rise could occur this rapidly. They all miss the point. The point is that a huge rise may occur soon and that politicians are taking little to no action. 

As the likeliness of a huge and accelerating temperature rise, the severity of its impact, and the ubiquity and the imminence with which it will strike all become more manifest—the more sobering it is to realize that a mere 3°C rise may suffice to cause human extinction.

A state of emergency is typically declared only after a disaster hits a specific area. Increasingly though, extreme weather events can be expected to occur more frequently and we must not only look at the intensity and severity at which one specific place is hit by an event, but we must also incorporate ubiquity and imminence in our response. As temperatures rise, more extreme weather events will occur with greater intensity, more frequently, over larger areas, with longer duration and they will become more ubiquitous and follow each other up with increasing if not accelerating rapidity.

How to repond

The situation is dire and the precautionary principle calls for rapid, comprehensive and effective action to reduce the damage and to improve the situation, as described in this 2022 post, where needed in combination with a Climate Emergency Declaration, as discussed at this group.



Links

• Copernicus
https://climate.copernicus.eu

• NOAA - ENSO evolution and El Niño status 

• Danish Meteorological Institute - Arctic sea ice volume and thickness
https://ocean.dmi.dk/arctic/icethickness/thk.uk.php

• Decline of Antarctic Circumpolar Current due to polar ocean freshening - by Taimoor Sohail et al. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/adb31c
discussed on facebook at: 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/arcticnews/posts/10162412290944679

• Kevin Pluck - seaice.visuals.earth
https://seaice.visuals.earth

• Climate Reanalyzer
https://climatereanalyzer.org

• nullschool.net
https://earth.nullschool.net