Cyclone Michaung wreaks havoc in Southern India as it intensifies into a severe storm. Warmer oceans are the primary reason for the storm which is closely linked to Arctic Sea ice melt.

On December 3rd, tropical cyclone Michaung brought severe rain on regions of Southern India including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and southern Odisha causing widespread damage to city infrastructure and loss of life. The Chennai international airport is submerged in ankle-deep water and is closed. Surprisingly, a crocodile has been sighted on the streets as a result of waterbodies overflowing. 

The cyclone was developed near the North Indian Ocean due to unfavorable warm ocean conditions which later intensified into a destructive storm. Tropical cyclones in the month of December usually do not intensify and remain under wind speeds of 62 kmph to 88 kmph, not causing severe damage to cities. However, it is a rare case for a tropical cyclone to take the shape of a storm with wind speeds exceeding 90 kmph to 110 kmph. 

Warmer than usual oceans conditions pose an alert that our world ecosystems are collapsing. As the Artic Sea ice melts, larger water surfaces are exposed to the sun, absorbing more heat and resulting in warmer ocean temperatures. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), ocean temperatures of 26 °C or more, prevailing at depths between 50 meters and 100 meters, have led to the strengthening and propagation of the Michaung cyclone. 

As the storm Michaung moves ahead and approaches land, the IMD has issued a warning of 200 mm of rain and 1.5-meter-high tidal waves near the shore in the next few days. Crop damage is anticipated to be significant. The exceptionally high rains may have an impact on paddy, pineapple, and other standing crops that are nearing harvest.  

The increased frequency of rare weather and climate patterns observed around the world provides a warning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Learn more about the climate crisis in India.

Image source: Satellite image from Ventusky – Showing precipitation of more than 50 mm in certain areas, shaded in red. 

On November 24th, scientists from the Bristish Antarctic Survey (BAS) were astonished to observe an iceberg measuring around 4,000 square kilometers (more than twice the size of Greater London) drifting away from the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The iceberg is not only massive in its area but also has a thickness of 400 m (about 1312.34 ft), which is higher than the London Shard – the tallest skyscraper in Europe with a height of 310m (about 1017.06 ft). 

The iceberg is named ‘A23a’ and was first dislodged in 1986 from the Filchner Ice Shelf, after which it has remained grounded on the Weddell Sea floor. Now, after 35 years it has begun its meandering journey driven by ocean winds and currents towards the Southern Atlantic Ocean with a probability of grounding again at South Georgia Island. If the iceberg finds a home in the South Georgia Island, it could block feeding routes for millions of seals, penguins, and seabirds that live on the island, thus disrupting the island’s wildlife and ecosystems. 

All icebergs go through a cycle of freezing, formation to withering away and melting over time. However, climate change, which warms ocean waters, has accelerated this process, causing large chunks of ice to float away and melt faster than usual, further increasing the global sea level. So even though it might have been time for A23a to melt away, it is a warning that we might have much larger iceberg calving events in the polar regions in the future, bringing devastating floods worldwide and sinking many coastal populations. If the Antarctic sheet ice melts, it could displace over 230 million people who currently live within three feet of the high tide line. 

Climate change has indeed woken up the Antarctic ice giants, and we must be prepared. 

Find out more about the global risks of Polar warming HERE.  

Photo credit: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-1 imagery  

On November 17th, global temperatures reached 2.07°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time on record.  

Preliminary data revealing the temperature spike was shared on X by Dr. Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Provisional data for November 18th showed temperatures at 2.06°C above the pre-industrial levels. 

These record-breaking global average temperatures are not indicative of permanent warming above 2°C – temperatures would need to consistently surpass this threshold for extended periods before scientists considered it breached. However, this is a clear signal of an increasingly warmer planet that is moving steadily to a future where reversing the impacts of climate change will be difficult, if not impossible.  

“Mother Nature has sent yet another worrying message that the Earth is unwell. While this is a short-term breach, the path we are on is a clear sign that we must act quickly and boldly to slash carbon emissions if we are to avert this level of warming becoming the norm, which we can already see is causing more costly and deadly extreme weather, accelerated sea-level rise through faster ice melt, and disrupted ecosystems,” said Dr. Jennifer Francis, a Senior Scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center and a member of Arctic Basecamp’s Science & Global Risks Advisory Team.  

“The science is clear: if it were not for human activities, mainly burning fossil fuels and deforestation, the Earth would now be cooling, not warming. The longer we wait to act, the more diseased is the planet we leave for our children,” she warned.  

The Arctic acts as the Earth’s cooling mechanism, but loss of ice and snow amplifies the risk of global heatwaves, meaning more intense heat stress in parts of the world that are already hot.  

Find out more about the global risks of Arctic warming HERE.