UCLA researchers discovered that heat waves in Southern California are not only rising in temperature but also lengthening more rapidly than the overall rate of climate change. The research indicates that modest increases in global temperatures can lead to more severe and longer-lasting heat waves. This trend poses significant threats to agriculture, infrastructure, and public health, necessitating urgent adaptation strategies. The study analyzed historical and projected global heat wave data, focusing on extreme events that last for weeks, with the highest frequency increases noted in such instances.
Researchers found that not only are heat waves getting hotter, but they're also becoming longer at a rate that will only further accelerate as the planet continues to warm.
Each fraction of a degree of warming will have more impact than the last, underscoring the need to develop strategies to help keep people, agriculture and infrastructure safe in extreme heat.
If the rate of warming stays the same, the rate of our adaptation has to happen quicker and quicker, especially for the most extreme heat waves, which are changing the fastest.
We found that the longest and rarest heat waves in each region - those lasting for weeks - are the ones that show the greatest increases in frequency.
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