Area five times bigger than Australia walloped by massive heatwave

Australians person been warned to expect much devastating extreme upwind events aft water temperatures successful our region deed a grounds precocious past year.

The World Meteorological Organisation's (WMO) State of nan Climate successful nan South-West Pacific study released earlier this week recovered 2024 was nan hottest twelvemonth connected grounds for nan region, up 0.48 degrees connected nan mean for nan past 3 decades.

It besides recovered that almost 40 cardinal quadrate kilometres of ocean – an area astir 5 times nan size of Australia – were subjected to heatwaves for overmuch of nan first half of nan year.

"Most of nan water area of nan South-West Pacific region was affected by marine heatwaves of strong, terrible aliases utmost strength during... peculiarly nan equatorial region of nan Maritime Continent and nan occidental Pacific," nan study states.

"During nan months of January, April, May and June 2024, astir 40,000,000km2 of nan region's water was impacted by marine heatwaves."

Pointing to heatwaves successful Western Australia, wherever temperatures sewage to wrong rubbing region of 50 degrees past February, and floods crossed overmuch of nan country, arsenic good arsenic terrible upwind successful different nations successful nan region, nan WMO said nan changing ambiance is posing a "serious risk" to nationalist health, lives and livelihoods.

"Unprecedented water warming, oversea level rise, and utmost upwind are endangering lives, ecosystems, and economies crossed nan region – particularly successful coastal and land communities," it said.

"2024 saw grounds sea-surface temperatures and near-record water power content, pinch marine heatwaves affecting complete 10 per cent of nan world ocean.

"On land, utmost heat, aggravated rainfall, and a historical cyclone play caused devastating impacts."

Speaking up of today's World Oceans Day, Monash University ambiance master Associate Professor Shayne McGregor said Australia is peculiarly susceptible to changes successful nan ocean.

"Australia is exposed to ambiance variability that is mostly ocean-driven," he said.

"These modes of ambiance variability, for illustration nan El Niño-Southern Oscillation, power our rainfall, heatwaves and occurrence risk.

"Recent water changes, which see rising oversea levels, expanding occurrence of marine heatwaves and changes to water currents, person already had noticeable impacts.

"These changes aren't conscionable environmental; they're economical and personal.

"They impact h2o security, nutrient production, security costs, and moreover really we scheme our power infrastructure."

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