VOA科学技术2024--EU Climate Agency: Another Record High Temperature for March

The European Union's climate agency, Copernicus, says the world's temperature averaged 14.14 degrees Celsius¹ in March.

The latest monthly temperature means that Copernicus has reported a record high temperature for 10 months in a row.

Copernicus added that the month was 1.68 degrees warmer than the estimated average for the month of March for the period from 1850 to 1900. The agency calls this period the "pre-industrial" period before oil, gas and coal were used in large amounts.

Since last June, weather agencies have been reporting record high average world temperatures. Some scientists say they are not surprised by the reports.

This year, a strong El Ni?o event is affecting weather in many parts of the world. El Ni?o is an unusually warm current that periodically appears in the southern Pacific Ocean and changes weather in places around the world.

Jennifer Francis is a scientist with the nonprofit Woodwell Climate Research Center in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. She said the periodic warm current is part of high temperatures: "But its combination with the non-natural marine² heat waves made these records so breathtaking."

Francis added that, as the El Ni?o becomes less intense, the reported temperatures above global averages should go down.

Climate scientists, like Francis, say that human activity is responsible for the record heat. They say burning coal, oil and natural gas results in more carbon dioxide and methane³ in the atmosphere. Those two are called "greenhouse gases" because they are said to "trap heat."

"The trajectory⁴ will not change until concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop rising," Francis said. "...We must stop burning fossil fuels, stop deforestation, and grow our food more sustainably as quickly as possible." Until then, Francis added, expect more broken records.

The 2015 Paris Agreement is an international plan that sets a goal of limiting the increase of the world's average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius or below. Its idea is to keep temperatures as close as possible to "pre-industrial" levels.

Samantha Burgess is deputy director of Copernicus Climate Change Service. She said the new March record temperature was not as high compared to other records. "We've had record-breaking months that have been even more unusual," Burgess said. These include February 2024 and September of 2023.

But Burgess noted⁵, the "trajectory is not in the right direction."

For March, Copernicus also reported that global sea surface temperatures averaged 21.07 degrees Celsius. The agency said this was the highest value ever recorded. The temperatures are only for the area between 60 degrees south latitude⁶ and 60 degrees north latitude.

The Copernicus' official said more needs to be done to control world temperatures. "We need more ambitious global action to ensure that we can get to net zero as soon as possible," Burgess said.

Words in This Story

in a row -phrase one after the other without a break in between

marine -adj. related to the sea

breathtaking -adj. causing surprise and astonishment⁷

trajectory -n. to path that something takes

concentration -n. the amount of a substance in one place, usually describing the density⁸ of its presence

ambitious -adj. aiming to become more powerful

net zero -adj. related to a condition in which what goes in and what comes out is cancel each other out and nothing is gained

1 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

2 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

4 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 latitude   

n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区

参考例句：

• The latitude of the island is 20 degrees south.该岛的纬度是南纬20度。
• The two cities are at approximately the same latitude.这两个城市差不多位于同一纬度上。

7 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

8 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。