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- Currently in D.C. — September 19, 2023: Sunny day alert! Enjoy it
Currently in D.C. — September 19, 2023: Sunny day alert! Enjoy it
Plus, Antarctic sea ice is having a weird year.
Eric Holthaus & Myriam Vidal
September 19, 2023
The weather, currently.
A sunny day turns into a clear and cool night.
“Good morning Baltimore, very day’s like an open door…” Ok, ok, we’re not in Baltimore but today’s sunny morning made me wanna brush up my Hairspray shower karaoke. Highs will make it to 78°F and humidity dies down a bit from yesterday. The skies will be clear for a second night in a row, and temperature will drop to 57°F. What is your favorite activity to do on a clear cool night? I love going out for a walk, and what a gift to do it in this beautiful city.
What you need to know, currently.
Antarctic sea ice continues to grow at a pace far below any previous year on record. As we approach springtime in the Southern Hemisphere and with a Pacific El Niño strengthening, there are worries that melt season may have already begun weeks early.
There is some speculation that Antarctic sea ice extent, which has been at daily record lows for the last 4 months, might already have peaked for this year.
It has been a very weird year, that I'm not sure anyone entirely understands.
— Dr. Robert Rohde (@RARohde)
2:21 PM • Sep 18, 2023
The BBC interviewed Antarctic research scientists, and their words are worth reflecting on.
"It's so far outside anything we've seen, it's almost mind-blowing," Walter Meier, who monitors sea-ice with the National Snow and Ice Data Center, told the BBC.
Since it is already floating, melting sea ice does not on its own raise sea levels. But sea ice forms a buffer encircling Antarctica from warming waters, and the loss of that sea ice would accelerate the loss of land ice in the Antarctic ice sheets, which would raise sea levels — perhaps dangerously so.
This is one further sign that we are in the emergency phase of the climate crisis, and that world leaders need to do uncomfortable things to restore a climate balance and pave the way for a just future for everyone.
What you can do, currently.
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One of my favorite organizations, Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, serves as a hub of mutual aid efforts focused on climate action in emergencies — like Hurricane season. Find mutual aid network near you and join, or donate to support networks in Florida:
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