September 2021 - one of the four warmest Septembers

Copernicus earth observation programme brings news on global warming

 September 2021 - one of the four warmest Septembers

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• The story: Copernicus is the European Union’s Earth observation programme. It found that Europe had near-record warmth in places during September 2021 but was cooler than average in the east, and close to average overall.
• What was special: September 2021 was one of the four warmest Septembers globally. But it was also a month that saw contrasting temperature anomalies in different parts of the world.

1. Europe had near-record warmth in places, but was cooler than average in the east, and close to average overall
2. Other regions such as central South America, north-western Africa and southern and eastern China had above average temperatures
3. In western Europe, the United Kingdom reported its second-warmest September on record, based on the countrywide average temperature for the month
4. Neighbouring France reported its highest-ever daily maximum September temperature for the country as a whole
5. September 2021 was much warmer than the 1991-2020 average over most regions of western Europe
6. In contrast, eastern Europe was correspondingly cooler than the 1991-2020 average, though not cool enough to be record-breaking in a long-term context
7. Helsinki, Finland’s capital, had a cooler September in 2021 than in any year from 1997 to 2020, but eleven earlier Septembers in the period from 1961 to 1996 were cooler

• Broadly speaking: Below average temperatures occurred in the region extending from eastern Europe to Lake Baikal in the Russian Far East. Greenland, which had experienced high temperatures in August, saw much-below average temperatures except its far north-east. September was warmer than average over:

1. The central regions of the United States and Canada
2. North-western Africa
3. An arc from Iran through central Asian countries to southern China
4. Parts of Siberia
5. Drought-hit central South America and much of the Antarctic
6. Air temperatures continued to be below average over much of the tropical and sub-tropical eastern Pacific Ocean

• They were predominantly above average over central and eastern parts of the mid-latitude North Pacific, but below average east of Japan. Temperatures were also well above average over a region of the extratropical South Pacific east of the International Dateline. It was warmer than average over almost all of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
• Earlier: Before September 2021, the Septembers of 2020, 2019 and 2016 also had been very warm. September 2021 was 0.40 degrees Celsius warmer than the 1991-2020 average for September.
• More on Copernicus: It is the European Union's Earth observation programme, looking at the planet and its environment to benefit all European citizens. It offers information services that draw from satellite Earth Observation and in-situ (non-space) data. The European Commission manages the Programme. It is implemented in partnership with the Member States, the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), EU Agencies and Mercator Océan. Vast amounts of global data from satellites and ground-based, airborne, and seaborne measurement systems provide information to help service providers, public authorities, and other international organisations improve European citizens' quality of life and beyond. The information services provided are free and openly accessible to users. The Copernicus name pays homage to a great European scientist and observer: Nicolaus Copernicus. His theory of the heliocentric universe made a pioneering contribution to modern science. Copernicus opened man to an infinite universe, previously limited by the rotation of the planets and the sun around the Earth, and created an understanding of a world without borders.
• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Comment on how global warming impacts daily lives of citizens across the world. (2) What was the singularly important contribution of Copernicus to modern science? Explain.

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