January breaks several dubious records, nobody cares

As the Arctic breaks down under record heat, the entire planet will be affected.

January 2016 has entered the record books for a number of dubious weather distinctions. According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) January stood out in several ways, none of them good.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - January 2016 was the ninth consecutive hottest month on record, and was the hottest January ever recorded since records have been kept. Arctic sea ice also set a new record low with less ice than has ever been seen before.

The past nine months have been the hottest string of months the planet has ever seen since records were kept. It is a sure indication that global warming is continuing, unabated. According to NOAA, January was a full 1.87 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than any other previously recorded January, setting a record for both the new global high temperature and for the height of the temperature spike.

There were several warm patches on the planet in January, but the most notable one was situated squarely over the North Pole. At one point in January, the North Pole was warmer than parts of the southern United States.

That blob of hot air helped melt ice in the arctic to a new record low. Temperatures in many parts of the Arctic were a full 9° F hotter than normal throughout January.

While we might assume such added warmth would be a welcome relief to those who live in the Arctic, the change borders on disaster. Hunting and fishing as well as other activities often depend on stable ice conditions, which can be jeopardized by the new high temperatures. Several naturalists have documented starving polar bears this year in the Arctic.

The reason for this unprecedented warming is El Nino, which likely hit its peak in January. The weather phenomenon, in which the waters of the Equatorial Pacific heat up above normal, drives powerful storms and record-breaking heatwaves around the globe.

NASA climate scientist Gavin Schmidt has gone on record saying that this record heat is mostly due to man-made global warming. As levels of CO2 in the atmosphere rise, so too will record-breaking temperatures.

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