High temperature records will be 'smashed' in coming century
Climate change will cause some regions of the world to "smash" high temperature records every year in the coming century, researchers warn. That will push "ecosystems and communities beyond their ability to cope," according to the authors of the study published online June 17 in Nature Climate Change.
The researchers used 22 climate models to forecast future summer temperatures. They determined that by the end of the 21st century, temperature events "will be so extreme that they will not have been experienced previously."
High monthly mean temperature records will be set in 58 percent of the world every year, with the greatest impact in developing countries and small island nations, according to the researchers. The highest monthly mean temperature records will occur in 67 percent of the least developed countries and 68 percent of small island developing states.
High temperatures increase the risk for heat stroke, breathing issues, heart attacks, asthma attacks, and kidney problems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More information: Scott B. Power et al. Setting and smashing extreme temperature records over the coming century, Nature Climate Change (2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41558-019-0498-5
Journal information: Nature Climate Change
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