Weather forecasters are predicting that 2017 is likely to be one of the hottest – but probably not the hottest – year on record.
WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis says that our warming planet has taken its toll on frozen ice floes.
"What we've seen this year is that the Arctic was hit by three successive –the equivalent of heatwaves, so rather than refreezing, there was actually a period of time when it was above the melting level," she said.
The forecast from the World Meteorological Organization comes after it released data showing that 2016 made history with a record global temperature and exceptionally low sea ice, along with an unabated rise in sea level and ocean heat.
The record-breaking heat that made 2016 the hottest year ever recorded has continued in 2017. Nullis said “the projections at the moment are that 2017 will be one of the hottest, but probably not the hottest and that is if we don’t have a strong El Nino," South-South News reported.
