Zack Labe

🧵 Looking for (polar) climate data visualizations? Start here! 📈📉🧪⚒️🌊 + Polar climate change: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i... + Global climate change indicators: zacklabe.com/climate-chan... + #Arctic sea ice extent: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i... + #Antarctic sea ice: zacklabe.com/antarctic-se...

Temperature departures averaged over the last month (left), 3 months (center), and 12 months (right) across the Northern Hemisphere... Data from @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social ERA5 reanalysis.

According to #ClimateCentral's @zacklabe.com, "One of the strongest El Niños on record is unfolding on top of a much warmer climate." 🎥Watch our latest Monthly Climate Briefing for a recap: youtu.be/YHpDb-QAifs

Andddd global temperatures are soaring to new daily record highs again! Graphic from zacklabe.com/climate-chan...

I'm headed up to the tundra next week to observe the annual polar bear migration along the Hudson Bay in Canada and do science communication and educational outreach on the effects of our rapidly warming Arctic. Follow along with our trip at @polarbearsinternational.org:

Sunday ice update - #Arctic sea ice extent is currently the 10th lowest on record (JAXA data) • about 90,000 km² below the 2010s mean • about 1,220,000 km² below the 2000s mean • about 2,080,000 km² below the 1990s mean • about 2,300,000 km² below the 1980s mean More: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i...

Last month observed the largest relative warming signal in the Arctic, which is not surprising for this time of year as the sea ice reforms. The tropical (El Niño) signal is really remarkable though. [Plot shows zonal-mean temperature anomalies, where latitude = y-axis (not scaled by distance).]

Saturday El Niño update - Sea surface temperatures are still warming across Niño region 3.4 over the last week. Note that I finally had to readjust the scale on the map view, so it's not quite comparable to prior updates. 🌊 Data from @noaa.gov OISSTv2.1: www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/opt...

Temperature anomalies (departure from average) around our planet for the last month (left), 3 months (center), and 12 months (right)... Check out the development of the El Niño signature in the Pacific. Data from doi.org/10.24381/cds...

Trends in October #Arctic sea ice thickness over approximately the last four decades (through 2025)... 🟦 - increasing ice thickness 🟥 - thinning ice Simulated data from PIOMAS. For more information: doi.org/10.1175/JCLI...

El Niño is everywhere in the headlines, but ultimately human-caused climate change is the key reason for the record global warmth. 📈 Curious about how these two climate stories relate? Learn more in our latest report: www.climatecentral.org/climate-matt...

Last month was the 2nd hottest September on record for our planet. The last couple of years have been exceptionally warm considering the historical record. 📈 This data is using NOAAGlobalTempv6.1.0: www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/lan...

Patterns of October temperatures in the #Antarctic when averaged by decade... Data from @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social ERA5 reanalysis.

Much of the perimeter of the #Arctic Ocean is getting wetter during the month of October. This is largest over the Barents-Kara Seas region, along with the eastern coast of Greenland. + Data: psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded... + More info: doi.org/10.25923/11n...

We're excited to share our new climate change indicators tool, with interactive real-time visualizations and data. We hope to expand it, so please let us know what you'd like to see! ➡️ Global Indicators: www.climatecentral.org/tools/climat... ▶️ Local climate: www.climatecentral.org/climate-local

Watch the changes in 100 years of average January-September temperature anomalies over land areas through 2026... Data from NOAAGlobalTemp v6.1.0: www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/lan...

#Arctic climate rankings are now in for September 2026: zacklabe.com/archive-2026/. It was unusually warm again. No updates on PIOMAS sea-ice volume and thickness. #SciComm #DataViz #OpenScience #OpenData

Simulated reconstruction of October #Arctic sea ice thickness since 1901. Large interannual variability and widespread thinning in recent years. Information about this data set is available at doi.org/10.1175/JCLI...

And here is the corresponding global upper ocean heat content (0 to 700 m depth) also now updated through June 2026... 🌊 This graph showing anomalies is created by NOAA at www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/globa...

Monday ice update - #Arctic sea ice extent is currently the 11th lowest on record (JAXA data) • about 9,000 km² above the 2010s mean • about 1,230,000 km² below the 2000s mean • about 2,250,000 km² below the 1990s mean • about 2,550,000 km² below the 1980s mean More: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i...

#Arctic air temperature rank by month over the satellite era - now updated through September 2026... + Ranks: 1=warmest (red), 47/48=coldest (blue) + Download higher resolution: zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe... + Data from @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social: doi.org/10.24381/cds...

"The last three months were about three degrees above average, hotter than the Dust Bowl summer of 1936 and the heat dome of 2021, and tens of millions of people can’t afford to pay for the air-conditioning that helped keep them safe in the deadly heat." via @nytimes.com

Check this out! These maps show temperature anomalies averaged by decade in the #Arctic for the month of October. This month is one of the fast warming for Arctic amplification trends. Heat is being transferred back into the overlying atmosphere from newly open water. Data: doi.org/10.24381/cds...

Check out this animation of 100 years of average September temperature anomalies over global land areas through 2026... Data from NOAAGlobalTemp v6.1.0: www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/lan...

"September 2026 was the warmest September on record for the contiguous U.S. Records have been maintained since 1895." Note that this was especially driven by unusually warm nights. ➡️ Our latest monthly climate report (Global and U.S. data+graphics): climatecentral.org/climate-brie...

Maps of temperature departures averaged over the last month (left), 3 months (center), and 12 months (right) across the #Arctic... Data from doi.org/10.24381/cds...

Friday ice update - #Arctic sea ice extent is currently the 14th lowest on record (JAXA data) • about 280,000 km² above the 2010s mean • about 1,010,000 km² below the 2000s mean • about 2,090,000 km² below the 1990s mean • about 2,500,000 km² below the 1980s mean More: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i...

"We can expect many extremes to be further amplified, including hotter heat waves and a supercharged water cycle. These changes can have major impacts on local communities and ripple through the global economy." Our recent state of the climate briefing: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHpD...

September #Arctic sea ice extent since 1850 - comparison now updated through 2026 Please note that the reconstruction (SIBT1850 v2) is for the 15th of September, while the NSIDC is a monthly mean. You can read more about this data set at doi.org/10.7265/jj4s... via @nsidc.bsky.social.

The extreme 'warmth' over western Siberia and extending into the Kara Sea has been extremely persistent for the last few months. September continued with this widespread anomaly, exceeding 5°C above the 1981-2010 average. Data from @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social ERA5 reanalysis.

Evolution of September #Arctic sea ice and sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies during the satellite-era... A summary of last month can be found from @nsidc.bsky.social at nsidc.org/sea-ice-toda... *SST data set (OISSTv2.1) is only available since about 1982

Warming prominently extends vertically aloft into the lower/mid-troposphere over the #Arctic region in October (i.e., notable Arctic amplification temperature trends). Data from @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social ERA5 reanalysis; possible influences of this warming: doi.org/10.1029/2020...

Just in from @zacklabe.com: Globally, September 2026 was the SECOND warmest year on record for land + ocean. Global Oceans were the absolute warmest experienced during a September. 2nd Warmest September for both the Northern & Southern Hemispheres

The disappearance of thicker #Arctic sea ice by decade in October... More info on this data: climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data...

The race continues for the hottest year on record, with 2026 ranking so far as the 2nd warmest for our planet! What are the impacts of this growing warmth on agriculture? Find out tomorrow during #ClimateCentral’s Monthly Climate Briefing. 👉Register: climatecentral-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

October has observed some of the largest warming trends in the #Arctic (satellite-era). This is greatest over areas with a lack of sea ice cover (nearly all of the Siberian Arctic). Arctic amplification is largest in the boreal fall. Data: doi.org/10.24381/cds.... Info: doi.org/10.1175/BAMS...

Along with Zack, hear from Pam Knox: director of the University of Georgia Weather Network and agricultural climatologist at the UGA Extension. REGISTER HERE ➡️ climatecentral-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

We have a new article out! We discuss how supporting and strengthening sparse observational networks across the polar regions is essential for developing trustworthy machine learning prediction models and evaluating their performance. In @agu.org's @eos.org (open access): doi.org/10.1029/2026...

I'll fix (extend) the scale for this graphic next month, though I do think it is helpful to see this view of the blob of red for how large in size the 3°C anomaly region is for the current El Niño event. Data from OISSTv2.1 🌊

Monday ice update - #Arctic sea ice extent is currently the 12th lowest on record (JAXA data) • about 230,000 km² above the 2010s mean • about 1,070,000 km² below the 2000s mean • about 2,160,000 km² below the 1990s mean • about 2,740,000 km² below the 1980s mean More: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i...

Last month was 2nd warmest September on record globally. This was about 1.63°C warmer than a pre-industrial (1850-1900) average. The last 12 months have been about 1.50°C above that same baseline. Summary by @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social at climate.copernicus.eu/surface-air-...

Outside of the #Antarctic, temperatures have been above average for nearly all areas of our planet in the last three months. This is clear when looking at each latitude band. [Plot shows zonal-mean surface air temperature anomalies, where latitude = y-axis (not scaled by distance). Data: GISTEMPv4]

My Arctic temperature graphics have been updated through September 2026: zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe... There was a sharp contrast in departures last month between Greenland (much colder) and western Siberia (much warmer). #DataViz #SciComm #OpenScience #OpenData #Arctic

The average global temperature so far this year (for the January-September period) is the 2nd warmest on record since the start of this dataset... This data is using NOAAGlobalTempv6.1.0: www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/lan...

Global ocean heat content (0-2000 m depth) now updated through June 2026... Do you see where this is heading? 🔥📈🌊 This graph showing anomalies is created by NOAA at www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/globa....

Sea surface temps in the Pacific Ocean along and south of the Aleutian Islands have been at/near record high levels all year (NOAA OISSTv2.1 data since 1982). This impacts storms moving across this region by increasing moisture that can bring north into mainland Alaska. #akwx #Pacific #SST #Climate

Visualization of changes in yearly global sea-ice volume from 1979 to 2025. Recent years are clearly well below the long-term average. Graphic from zacklabe.com/global-sea-i...

Temperature departures around the world averaged over the last three months... 🟥 warmer than average 🟦 colder than average Data from data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/

Last month was the hottest September ever recorded in the contiguous U.S.—a sobering record for an already historically hot year.

Friday ice update - #Arctic sea ice extent is currently the 16th lowest on record (JAXA data) • about 420,000 km² above the 2010s mean • about 860,000 km² below the 2000s mean • about 1,960,000 km² below the 1990s mean • about 2,610,000 km² below the 1980s mean More: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i...

AI-based approaches are showing promise as robust options for predicting sea ice conditions. But the polar observations needed to build and test these systems remain sparse, write @zacklabe.com @climatecentral.org and colleagues from a @scor-int.bsky.social working group. eos.org/science-upda...