Source: https://www.miragenews.com/scientists-decode-2024-extreme-climate-impacts-1391128/

From the persistent droughts in southern Africa and Central America earlier this year to the more recent extreme rainfall in Spain and the deadly Hurricane Helene along the American east coast, 2024 has been marked by climate events that have impacted the lives of billions of people.

In a recent study published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, an international team of scientists, led by Prof. Dr. ZHANG Wenxia from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, provided an overview of the characteristics and impacts of the most notable extreme events of the year, including rainfall and flooding, tropical cyclones, and droughts. They also discussed the causes of these events, the role of global warming, and the challenges humanity faces in becoming “climate-resilient.” The research team has been conducting an annual review of global climate extremes since 2022, and this year they identified exceptional rainfall and flooding as significant trends.