It has been confirmed that the summer of 2023 in the Northern hemisphere was hottest in the last 2,000 years. The UN’s climate body has said that the last time the Earth was continuously this warm may have been more than 100.000 years ago.
The experts looked at deep sea sediments and ice cores to determine this. They also looked at tree rings for valuable insights about climate. Tree rings not only show the tree’s age, but also record detailed information about the state of the climate each year as the tree grows. Scientists reviewed living specimens and fossils, from the European Alps to the Russian Altai mountains.
They studied trees living at altitude, where the impact of summer growth would be most clearly felt. In such places, ringe are usually wider in warmer years when there is more growth and thinner in colder years. This long term Tree ring record along with modern temperature data has shown that: Summer of 2023 was 2.07°C warmer than the “pre-industrial” period of 1850-1900. Compared with the coldest summer in the record which was the year 536, last summer was 3.93°C warmer.
How is Global Warming Tracked?
Presently, global warming is tracked by comparing temperatures to the “pre-industrial era”, before humans started burning large amounts of fossil fuels. This time period is widely defined as the period between 1850 to 1900.
World Oceans Day is celebrated every year on June 8 and the main objective of the day is to focus on and create awareness about ocean conservation. World Oceans Day serves as a reminder to everyone about the major role the oceans have in our everyday life. The world’s oceans, their temperature, currents and marine life, drive global systems that make the Earth habitable for humankind. Our rainwater, drinking water, weather, climate, coastlines, much of our food, and even the oxygen in the air we breathe, are all ultimately provided and regulated by the ocean. Throughout history, oceans and seas have also been vital for trade and transportation. Careful management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a sustainable future.
The concept of a ‘World Oceans Day’ was first proposed in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to raise awareness about the crucial role the ocean plays in our lives and the important ways people can help protect it. In 2008, led by Canada, the United Nations General Assembly resolved that June 8 would be designated by the United Nations as “World Oceans Day”. The theme of the inaugural World Oceans Day in 2009 was ‘Our Oceans, Our Responsibility’. The theme for World Oceans Day 2024 is ‘Awaken New Depths.
What was the Earth Summit?
In 1992, more than 100 heads of state met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the first international Earth Summit convened to address urgent problems of environmental protection and socio-economic development.
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Oceans And The Threats They Face
Our modern habits and the use of many kinds of technologies have a devastating impact on the oceans and on the marine ecosystems and life in general.
Overfishing
Climate Change
Plastic Pollution
Did You Know?
World Environment Day is celebrated every year on June 5 to encourage global action to protect the environment. It is led by the United Nations Environment Programme and has been held annually since 1973. It is celebrated by millions of people across the world. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host World Environment Day 2024 with a focus on land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience.
How Can We Save The Oceans?
The time has come to take action and safeguard the ocean. We can all do our bit by taking small steps. We can:
Conserve Water
Shop Responsibly
Reduce Pollutants
Use Less Energy
Fish Responsibly
Reduce Waste
Reduce Vehicle Pollution
Some Important Facts About Oceans:
Did you know that the Earth has one global ocean? Oceanographers and nations have divided it into five different geographical regions – the Pacific, the Atlantic, India, Arctic, and Southern.
The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen.
Oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide produced by humans, reducing the impacts of global warming.
Oceans play an important role in influencing and regulating the climate on the Earth.
Oceans are a major source of food and medicine.
The ocean covers 71% of the Earth’s surface. It also holds about 96.5% of all Earth’s water.
Ocean is home to 94% of life on Earth. However, the exact number of species that live in the ocean is unknown.
The sea is home to the world’s largest living structure – the Great Barrier Reef. It is 2,600km long and can be seen from the Moon.
The ocean is very important for our economy. It is estimated that 40 million people will be employed by ocean-based industries by 2030.
Indian football icon Sunil Chhetri recently announced that he will retire from international football. He will play his last international match on June 6 in the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait in Kolkata. Sunil Chhetri, who made his debut in 2005, has scored 94 goals for India. He will leave the scene as India’s all-time top scorer and most-capped player. At the moment, he is the third highest scorer of international goals among active footballers, after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Kolkata Knight Riders (“KKR”) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (“SRH”) by 8 wickets to win their third IPL title, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 26. KKR dismissed SRH for just 113 runs, the lowest-ever total in an IPL final. Only Chennai Super Kings (“CSK”) and Mumbai Indians have won more IPL titles than KKR.
1. Dinosaurs lived on Earth around 165 million years ago. They became extinct around 65 million years ago. Scientists believe that dinosaurs became extinct after an asteroid that hit the Earth. The impact of the asteroid would have significantly changed the Earth’s climate and vegetation. Unfortunately, the dinosaurs couldn’t adapt to the changes so they became extinct. However, this isn’t confirmed and some scientists still class it as a mystery!
2. Dinosaur fossils have been found on all continents on Earth, including Antarctica! We know that dinosaurs lived on all continents because of this.
3. It was only 200 years ago that the first time a dinosaur fossil was unearthed by humans and officially named.
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4. The first dinosaur was named by an English naturalist named William Buckland in 1824. It was called Megalosaurus. Even though it was the first time a dinosaur had been officially recognised, they were not known as dinosaurs until the 1840s.
5. The word ‘dinosaur comes from two Greek words: ‘dienos’ meaning terrible and ‘sauros’ meaning reptile. In 1842, British palaeontologist Richard Owen came up with the word.
6. The present day birds have evolved from the dinosaurs that lived millions of years ago!
7. There were more than 700 species of dinosaurs. Some of the dinosaurs were herbivores, while others were carnivores.
8. One of the biggest dinosaurs ever was the Argentinosaurus. Whereas, Tyrannosaurus Rex was one of the most ferocious dinosaurs ever.
