Quello del 2010 e’ stato il marzo “piu’ caldo mai registrato a livello globale“, superando il record finora detenuto dal 1998.

E non è solo un problema di riscaldamento atmosferico, perchè anche gli oceani e i mari si stanno riscaldando:  “Anche le temperature medie delle superfici oceaniche sono state di 0,56° oltre le medie _ scrive la Noaa _ e sono state le piu’ elevate di ogni altro marzo dall’avvio delle misurazioni”.  A livello di aree emerse si e’ registrato “il quarto marzo piu’ caldo di sempre”. Se poi si concentra l’attenzione su tutto il trimestre, emerge che quello appena passato e’ stato “il quarto periodo gennaio-marzo piu’ caldo di sempre“, registrando valori 0,66° sopra le medie del secolo scorso. Insieme, le superfici terrestre e oceaniche hanno raggiunto una temperatura di 13,5 gradi rispetto ai 12,7 di media del secolo scorso: 0,77° in più sulle medie del secolo scorso. Va anche detto che marzo 2010 è il 34° mese consecutivo sopra le medie. Il trend di riscaldamento globale ha avuto quindi una ennesima conferma.

Le precipitazioni hanno mostrato estremizzazioni anche geografiche: estremi di precipitazioni situazioni alluvionali in aree dell’Asia centro meridionale a nord dell’India e siccità anche marcata in India e nelle aree occidentali confinanti (Pakistan, Afganistan e penisola arabica). Alquanto piovoso il mese di marzo 2010 sull’Europa meridionale, e soprattutto in Spagna. Siccitoso anche tutto (o quasi) il nord America.

A fornire i dati è il consueto bollettino mensile si una fonte autorevole come la Noaa, l’Amministrazione nazionale americana per gli oceani e l’atmosfera (National oceanic and atmospheric administration).

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LA VERSIONE INTEGRALE DELLA NOTA DELLA NOAA

State of the Climate
Global Analysis
March 2010
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Climatic Data Center

Global Highlights

The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for March 2010 was the warmest on record at 13.5°C (56.3°F), which is 0.77°C (1.39°F) above the 20th century average of 12.7°C (54.9°F). This was also the 34th consecutive March with global land and ocean temperatures above the 20th century average. The March worldwide land surface temperature was 1.36°C (2.45°F) above the 20th century average of 5.0°C (40.8°F)—the fourth warmest on record. The worldwide ocean surface temperature was 0.56°C (1.01°F) above the 20th century average of 15.9°C (60.7°F) and the warmest March on record. For the year-to-date, the global combined land and ocean surface temperature of 13.0°C (55.3°F) was the fourth warmest January-March period. This value is 0.66°C (1.19°F) above the 20th century average.

Features

The combined global land and ocean surface temperature anomaly for March 2010 was 0.77°C (1.39°F) above the 20th century average, resulting in the warmest March since records began in 1880. The previous record was set in 2002 when temperatures were 0.74°C (1.33°F) above the 20th century average. Sea surface temperatures (SST) during March 2010 were warmer than average across much of the world’s oceans, with the cooler-than-average conditions across the higher-latitude southern oceans, across parts of the northern Pacific Ocean, and along the western coast of South America. Warmer-than-average conditions were most pronounced in the equatorial portions of the oceans, where the tropical ocean surface temperature (equatorward of 20 degrees latitude) also had its warmest March on record. The March 2010 worldwide SST ranked as the warmest on record, with an anomaly of 0.56°C (1.01°F) above the 20th century average—the previous record was set in 1998. El Niño weakened to moderate strength during March; however, it contributed significantly to the warmth observed in the tropical belt and the overall ocean temperature. According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, El Niño is expected to continue through the Northern Hemisphere spring 2010 and transition to ENSO-neutral conditions by the Northern Hemisphere summer 2010.

The worldwide land surface temperature was the fourth warmest on record, with a temperature anomaly of 1.36°C (2.45°F) above the 20th century average. During March 2010, warmer-than-average conditions dominated the globe, with the most prominent warmth in northern Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Canada. Cooler-than-average conditions were present across Mongolia, central and eastern Russia, northern and western Europe, Mexico, the southeastern U.S., northern Australia, and western Alaska.

Most of Canada was engulfed by abnormally warm conditions during March 2010. Mean temperature records were set or tied across Ontario, Canada, as mean temperatures were 2.5°-8.1°C above the March average, according to Environment Canada.

The March 2010 average temperature across China was 3.4°C (38.1°F), which is 0.02°C (0.04°F) above the 1971-2000 average of 3.2°C (37.8°C)—according to Beijing Climate Center (BCC). It was reported that Tibet experienced its second warmest March temperatures since historic records began in 1951 (Source: BCC).

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), many locations across India experienced their warmest March maximum, minimum, or mean temperatures on record. Delhi, India experienced above-average temperatures during March 2010. The average maximum and minimum temperatures for March 2010 were 34.1°C (93.4°F) and 18.6°C (65.5°F)—which is 4.1°C (7.4°F) and 3.2°C (5.8°F) above average, respectively. These were the second warmest March maximum and minimum temperatures, behind 1953 (34.3°C [93.7°F]) and 1916 (18.8 [65.8°F]), respectively. Delhi’s average mean temperature during March 2010 was 26.3°C (79.3°F), the second warmest March mean temperature on record, behind 1953 (26.4°C [79.5°F]). Records in Delhi began in 1901. Please see IMD’s March 2010 report for additional information.

The March 2010 average temperature for the Northern Hemisphere as a whole (land and ocean surface combined) was 0.92°C (1.66°F) above the 20th century average—the third warmest March on record, behind 2008 (warmest March) and 1990 (second warmest March). The Northern Hemisphere ocean temperature during March 2010 ranked as the warmest March on record, with an anomaly of 0.54°C (0.97°F) above the 20th century average. The previous record was set in 2004 when the Northern Hemisphere March ocean temperature was 0.49°C (0.88°F) above the 20th century average. The March 2010 Northern Hemisphere land temperature was the fourth warmest on record (1.52°C [2.74°F] above the 20th century average).

The average temperature for the Southern Hemisphere as a whole (land and ocean surface combined) was 0.64°C (1.15°F) above the 20th century average—the second warmest March on record, behind 1998. The Southern Hemisphere ocean temperature during March 2010 also represented the second warmest, with an anomaly of 0.59°C (1.06°F) above the 20th century average. The March 2010 Southern Hemisphere land temperature was 0.95°C (1.71°F) above the 20th century average—the warmest on record. The previous record was set in 1998.