The extent of Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest value for the month of July this year.
It is 7% below the average of the 44 years of monitored satellite data and well below the previous data record.
This was noted by the Copernicus Climate Change Service which, implemented by the European Center for Medium-Term Weather Forecasts on behalf of the European Commission, with EU funding, regularly publishes monthly climate bulletins.
The Southern Ocean, Copernicus explains in a note, "has been affected by large areas of sub-average sea ice concentration, from the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas to the northern Weddell Sea area, as well as much of the Indian Ocean. The extension of Antarctic sea ice has reduced compared to the minimum values recorded in July between 2019 and 2021, positioning itself in twelfth place for the month of July in satellite data ".
Globally
, this year of 2022 is one of the hottest three months of July on record, almost 0.4 degrees Celsius above the average for the reference period between 1991 and 2020, slightly cooler than July 2019 and slightly warmer than July 2016
, says Copernicus Climate Change Service, specifying that July "was the sixth warmest recorded in Europe overall; the heat wave pushes temperatures to new local and national records in vast western and northern areas of the continent".
"The continental masses of the northern hemisphere - adds the Copernicus service - mostly detect temperatures well above average. Temperatures were below average along the western Indian Ocean, from the Horn of Africa to southern India up to most of the 'Central Asia, as well as in almost all of Australia ".
ANSA agency
Cnr: 'To date, 2022 is the hottest year ever' - Chronicle
The first seven months project 2022 as the hottest year ever: July just ended recorded a +2.26 degrees above the Italian average from 1800 (since the data were collected) to today (ANSA)