Record Warmth of 2023 and 2024 was Highly Predictable and Resulted From ENSO Transition and Northern Hemisphere Absorbed Shortwave Anomalies

Abstract Global mean temperature rapidly warmed during 2023, making 2023 the second warmest year on record at 1.45°C above pre‐industrial climate, and 2024 became the first year on record to surpass 1.5°C. Here we explore the likelihood, mechanisms, and predictability of the rapid warming during 202...

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Main Authors: Eduardo Blanchard‐Wrigglesworth, Roberto Bilbao, Aaron Donohoe, Stefano Materia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-05-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115614
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author Eduardo Blanchard‐Wrigglesworth
Roberto Bilbao
Aaron Donohoe
Stefano Materia
author_facet Eduardo Blanchard‐Wrigglesworth
Roberto Bilbao
Aaron Donohoe
Stefano Materia
author_sort Eduardo Blanchard‐Wrigglesworth
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Global mean temperature rapidly warmed during 2023, making 2023 the second warmest year on record at 1.45°C above pre‐industrial climate, and 2024 became the first year on record to surpass 1.5°C. Here we explore the likelihood, mechanisms, and predictability of the rapid warming during 2023 with CMIP simulations and a fully‐coupled forecast ensemble initialized on 1 November 2022. The year‐to‐year (Y2Y) warming for the second half of 2023 of 0.49°C equaled the largest on record since 1850, and is simulated as a 1 in 6,000 years event. The forecast ensemble‐mean predicts about 75% of the observed warming during 2023. The remaining 25% of the warming lies within the forecast spread, with members that forecast a strong 2023 El Niño and positive absorbed shortwave anomalies more likely to forecast the entirety of the observed warming. The forecast ensemble succesfully predicts 2024 to be the first year on record above 1.5°C.
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institution Kabale University
issn 0094-8276
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language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
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series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-4f30798f7fc143889c8d2941a779fce02025-08-20T03:26:38ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-05-015210n/an/a10.1029/2025GL115614Record Warmth of 2023 and 2024 was Highly Predictable and Resulted From ENSO Transition and Northern Hemisphere Absorbed Shortwave AnomaliesEduardo Blanchard‐Wrigglesworth0Roberto Bilbao1Aaron Donohoe2Stefano Materia3Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science University of Washington Seattle WA USABarcelona Supercomputing Centre‐Centro Nacional de Supercomputación Barcelona SpainDepartment of Atmospheric and Climate Science University of Washington Seattle WA USABarcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) Barcelona SpainAbstract Global mean temperature rapidly warmed during 2023, making 2023 the second warmest year on record at 1.45°C above pre‐industrial climate, and 2024 became the first year on record to surpass 1.5°C. Here we explore the likelihood, mechanisms, and predictability of the rapid warming during 2023 with CMIP simulations and a fully‐coupled forecast ensemble initialized on 1 November 2022. The year‐to‐year (Y2Y) warming for the second half of 2023 of 0.49°C equaled the largest on record since 1850, and is simulated as a 1 in 6,000 years event. The forecast ensemble‐mean predicts about 75% of the observed warming during 2023. The remaining 25% of the warming lies within the forecast spread, with members that forecast a strong 2023 El Niño and positive absorbed shortwave anomalies more likely to forecast the entirety of the observed warming. The forecast ensemble succesfully predicts 2024 to be the first year on record above 1.5°C.https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115614
spellingShingle Eduardo Blanchard‐Wrigglesworth
Roberto Bilbao
Aaron Donohoe
Stefano Materia
Record Warmth of 2023 and 2024 was Highly Predictable and Resulted From ENSO Transition and Northern Hemisphere Absorbed Shortwave Anomalies
Geophysical Research Letters
title Record Warmth of 2023 and 2024 was Highly Predictable and Resulted From ENSO Transition and Northern Hemisphere Absorbed Shortwave Anomalies
title_full Record Warmth of 2023 and 2024 was Highly Predictable and Resulted From ENSO Transition and Northern Hemisphere Absorbed Shortwave Anomalies
title_fullStr Record Warmth of 2023 and 2024 was Highly Predictable and Resulted From ENSO Transition and Northern Hemisphere Absorbed Shortwave Anomalies
title_full_unstemmed Record Warmth of 2023 and 2024 was Highly Predictable and Resulted From ENSO Transition and Northern Hemisphere Absorbed Shortwave Anomalies
title_short Record Warmth of 2023 and 2024 was Highly Predictable and Resulted From ENSO Transition and Northern Hemisphere Absorbed Shortwave Anomalies
title_sort record warmth of 2023 and 2024 was highly predictable and resulted from enso transition and northern hemisphere absorbed shortwave anomalies
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115614
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AT aarondonohoe recordwarmthof2023and2024washighlypredictableandresultedfromensotransitionandnorthernhemisphereabsorbedshortwaveanomalies
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