Researchers Explore Additional Causes for Earth’s Rising Temperatures Beyond Climate Change and El Nino

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Scientists are probing whether factors other than global warming and El Nino might be contributing to the recent record-breaking heat. The European climate agency Copernicus has recorded temperatures in July higher than any previous record, leading to investigations into other potential causes.

While climate change resulting from fossil fuel burning is the primary cause of the warming trend, and El Nino contributes a minor part, some experts believe another factor might be involved.

Possible sources of extra warmth are being examined, including cleaner air from new shipping regulations and a massive undersea volcano eruption. Both possibilities are now under investigation.

The Cleaner Air Possibility

The new international shipping rules implemented in 2020 that reduced cooling particles by as much as 80% have been identified as a probable factor by Florida State University climate scientist Michael Diamond. This reduction, described by NASA’s Tianle Yuan as a “shock to the system,” may have contributed to warming in shipping hot spots such as the North Atlantic.

Did the Volcano Do It?

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai undersea volcano’s eruption in the South Pacific in January 2022 sent over 165 million tons of water into the atmosphere. While usually volcanic eruptions like Mount Pinatubo in 1991 can temporarily cool the Earth, this particular eruption featured an unusually high amount of water and low amount of cooling sulfur. Studies conflict on the effect, but the situation is being closely monitored.

Lesser Suspects

Other considerations include a lack of African dust, changes in the jet stream, a slowdown in ocean currents, and solar activity. However, chief scientist Robert Rohde of Berkeley Earth dismisses the sun as a factor, pointing out that solar storms were stronger in the past without the same warming effect.

Look No Further

Some scientists argue that human-caused climate change, amplified by El Nino, suffices to explain the recent temperatures. According to Michael Mann from the University of Pennsylvania, human activity is responsible for five-sixths of the recent warming, with El Nino accounting for the rest.

Experts like Imperial College of London’s Friederike Otto assert that though other factors might contribute, climate change and El Nino are enough to explain the phenomenon, and we should anticipate seeing this pattern again in the future.

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