The world has warmed by 1 degree Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit) since the start of the Industrial Revolution, according to studies, but is this warming uniformly around the globe? In a nutshell, the answer is no. This number is only an average for the entire planet; certain parts are warming up more quickly while others are a little slower to catch up.
This article will discuss how climate change impacts temperature rises and which parts of the world experience climate change more severely than others.
We’ll also keep an eye out for potential rises, particularly in the regions of the world that will likely be most significantly impacted.
How Does Climate Change Affect Temperature?
Have you ever entered a greenhouse in the dead of winter and been surprised by how much warmer it was inside? The purpose of a greenhouse is to retain heat, and the Earth’s atmosphere serves the same purpose. By trapping the solar rays that warm the Earth’s surface, our atmosphere acts as a bubble around the globe, shielding us from the extreme cold of space.
The atmosphere traps what is required to support life, with some of this solar energy intended to be reflected back into space to prevent us from fully burning to a crisp.
Methane, carbon dioxide, and water vapor all serve as additional heat trappers that prevent heat from escaping from the atmosphere.
The concentration of these molecules has grown as our climate has changed, causing the air bubble in which we dwell to heat up more.
Which Regions of the World Are Warming More Quickly?
Let’s examine the areas of the world that appear to be warming more quickly than others as a result of climate change, as well as the factors that affect this heightened effect.
The Arctic
Polar bears perched on melting ice floes come to mind when anyone brings up climate change and the Arctic, right? Why is the Arctic the exemplar of a changing climate?
Beacause atmospheric systems direct storms with higher temperatures toward the poles, surface ice melts more quickly during the winter months.
Less ice means fewer reflecting surfaces for the sun’s rays to hit and reflect back out into space. And then, more solar energy is being absorbed by the atmosphere, which merely accelerates the pace at which ice and snow melt, perpetuating the cycle.
As a result, the Arctic’s average temperature is rising at an increasingly rapid rate.
Continental Interiors Land
Because it lacks a “self-cooling” mechanism, Continental Interiors Land generally warms up more quickly than water.
The capacity of the surface layer of water to evaporate might result in temperatures that are lower than previously.
Ocean temperatures are also self-regulated by coastal upwelling, which causes cooler bottom water to replace warmer top water.
North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia are seeing higher temperature rises because they have generally greater land mass and less ocean than on the Southern Hemisphere continents of South America and Australia.
After a certain amount of water has drained from the soil of the continents, the temperature rises more quickly because there is nothing left to absorb the heat.
This explains why the interior of continents warms up more quickly than their coasts do.
North-Eastern Region of the USA
Now hold on, New England! What makes New England so unique that it is warming up 50% more quickly than the rest of the world?
First and foremost, New England is beginning to confront the same issue as the Arctic – fewer solar reflecting surfaces to drive those heat waves out of the sky. Winters are often accompanied by enormous volumes of snow and ice.
Second, of all bodies of water on earth, the Gulf of Maine, which lies between southern New England and Canada, has one of the greatest temperature rises.
Therefore, the land mass is not being cooled by being close to this enormous portion of the Atlantic.
Temperature Predictions in the Future
What can we anticipate over the next 100 years if climate change causes temperatures to continue rising?
Regarding the rise in temperature by 2100, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change outlined various possible scenarios.
Assuming that human activity is what is causing the variations in greenhouse gas concentrations, these disparities are largely explained.
- The Arctic: From what we can see, the Arctic will continue to receive the short end of the stick and experience temperature increases of at least 5 to 9 degrees Celsius. Apologies, polar bears.
- European Interiors: With an increase of 5 to 7 degrees Celsius by 2100, the landlocked zones also appear to be getting very warm.
- North-Eastern Americans: With a 5 to 7 degree Celsius rise as well, New England appears to be tying the continental interiors. Long live the icy winters!
- The Oceans: Ocean waters continue to trend less warm than their land-based counterparts, but by 2100, global ocean temperatures are still expected to rise by 1 to 5 degrees Celsius.
Final Word
Despite the fact that not all regions of the world are warming equally as a result of climate change, the atmosphere is generally warming.
The most significant temperature rises have undoubtedly been and will continue to be witnessed in places like New England, the Arctic, and the center of the continents.
Winters will be different from what they previously were, and summers will be hotter than ever as the concentration of greenhouse gases rises.
In the future, it will be fascinating to see how well the predictions match reality and whether the discrepancy between locations with quicker and slower heating continues to widen.
