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Zack Labe
@ZLabe@fediscience.org
Climate Scientist (Atmospheric) at Climate Central | PhD | Sharing data-driven stories | Harrisburg, PA | Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are only my own
My research and communication interests coincide with disentangling patterns of climate change from climate variability using data-driven methods. Also, scary movie fan!
#Arctic #ClimateChange #DataViz #MachineLearning #OpenScience #Python #SciComm #Weather #wxMastodon #wxTwitter
13103 Followers
107 Following
50 Posts
Joined November 04, 2022
My Research:
My Climate Change Visualizations:
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Boosted by @Dragofix@veganism.social
This is pretty wild... the average global sea surface temperature (outside of the polar regions) is still above 70°F (21.1°C) through the end of September. This is significantly above the prior record.
We'll cover this in our October climate briefing: https://climatecentral-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/5817787808929/WN_xagcAeAWQqqSZ04Z-knJRA
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
My conversation with Meteorologist Jim Teske on climate monitoring, changes in the Arctic, and the importance of supporting observational Earth system data: https://youtube.com/watch?v=3DCBwA05_MY
Teske's Tidbits: Arctic Climate
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We have some new interactive climate data visualizations at https://observablehq.com/@climatecentral/-/collection/climate-services Hope they are useful, and feel free to share!
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
Another season of tracking freezing degree days in the high #Arctic has ended. This is a simple measure of relative cold integrated with time. This past year was quite anomalous again, consistent with a rapidly warming Arctic system.
☑️ Follow temperatures along daily at: https://zacklabe.com/arctic-temperatures/
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
“I have never seen this many open records requests in such a short time,”
"People working on climate-related issues are “unwelcome in the U.S.,” he said."
Inside the anti-climate campaign against researchers via @politico@flipboard.com at https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/28/climate-science-conservative-documents-universities-01065669
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Quick oceans update: yah, sea surface temperatures remain in new territory this year.
See more at https://zacklabe.com/climate-change-indicators/ This data (extrapolar ocean) is provided by @CopernicusECMWF@masto.ai ERA5.
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Boosted by @Dragofix@veganism.social
This year's El Niño strength is already in rare company and that's only through the July-August-September average...
Graphic updated in near-real time at https://zacklabe.com/climate-change-indicators/
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
Here's another perspective on how quickly the melt season has started for #Antarctic sea ice this year...
More views at https://zacklabe.com/antarctic-sea-ice-extentconcentration/
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
The last three months really highlight just how widespread the unusually warm sea surface temperatures are found. In addition El Niño, there are several large marine heat waves, with one of the largest departures still across the North Pacific.
Data from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/optimum-interpolation-sst
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
Another year full of climate extremes... Did you know the last 100 days have all set new daily records for global sea surface temperatures?
Learn more about our rapidly warming oceans in my webinar this week, and bring your questions!
📣 Register in advance: https://climatecentral-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/5817787808929/WN_lzUWHmWpRXKF-yjzL0VVbg
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Boosted by @Dragofix@veganism.social
Sea surface temperatures in the key Niño 3.4 region have been at record highs since early June (climate change plus El Niño), now more than 1°C above the 1997 record this week! 😬
Bring your El Niño questions and more to our free webinar tomorrow (sign up): https://climatecentral-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/5817787808929/WN_lzUWHmWpRXKF-yjzL0VVbg
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
Good morning! Monthly climate change indicator update time... 🫣
- Global temperature: 📈
- Carbon dioxide (CO₂): 📈
- Methane (CH₄): 📈
- Nitrous oxide (N₂O): 📈
Download at https://zacklabe.com/climate-change-indicators/
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
The extent of global sea ice has been the 3rd lowest on record for the date (satellite-era) over the last couple of weeks. This was especially due to unusually low ice cover in the Antarctic.
More graphics at https://zacklabe.com/global-sea-ice-extent-conc/
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The last three months are the warmest on record globally, relative to every other June-July-August period since 1850.
Data from NOAA/NCEI's NOAAGlobalTempv6.1.0.
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
Comparing monthly average temperature anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere versus the Southern Hemisphere through August 2026 (record warm).
The climate change trend in all months of the year can be visualized through the blue to red gradient.
Data available via @CopernicusECMWF@masto.ai ERA5.
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
"Is California facing a record-breaking winter forecast because of this Super El Nino?"
Learn more from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLUUZ86pK6w
What Happens When Super El Niño Hits California?
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Watch the changes in 100 years of changing June-July-August temperature anomalies over land areas through 2026 (second highest on record)...
Data from NOAAGlobalTemp v6.1.0: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/noaa-global-temp
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
Have a good week! Here's your Monday ice update - #Arctic sea ice extent is currently the 16th lowest on record (JAXA data)...
• about 320,000 km² above the 2010s mean
• about 720,000 km² below the 2000s mean
• about 1,890,000 km² below the 1990s mean
• about 2,590,000 km² below the 1980s mean
More graphics: https://zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-ice-figures/
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Wednesday El Niño update - The explanation for why sea surface temperatures are still at record high levels in the Niño 3.4 region is because of both climate change plus El Niño.
Far-reaching El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) teleconnections are more dependent on temperature gradients, and relative sea surface temperatures are actually more in line with other strong events.
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Boosted by @Dragofix@veganism.social
47 years of average annual sea ice thickness across the #Arctic...
Graphic now available to include 2025 at: https://zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-ice-figures/
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
Check out the total extent of the ocean warmth from last month...
Data from NOAA OISSTv2.1.
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Replying to
"Over the last decade, 255 out of 378 days with coastal flooding in the Ocean City, NJ area were caused by heat-trapping pollution raising sea levels"
Explore the new attribution data with https://coastal.climatecentral.org/coastal-risk-finder?contiguous=true&elevation_model=best_available&forecast_year=2050&map-settings=0111&mapType=crf_year&pathway=ssp2rcp45&percentile=p50&place=usa.nj.ocean-city-city&return_level=return_level_1&rl_model=tebaldi_2012&slr_model=ipcc_2021_med&theme=sea_level_rise&unit-area=acre&unit-distance=ft&unit-temperature=F&unit-values=absolute&x=-74.59991455078126&y=39.26947400794338&z=12
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"Every El Niño has its own flavor. Each one is different. And so that's really important to keep in mind." via @USAToday@flipboard.com at https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/weather/2026/09/22/when-is-autumnal-equinox-fall-begins/91810272007/
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
The warmth over western Siberia extending into the Kara Sea basin has been very persistent this summer, with temperature anomalies easily more than 5°C above the 1981-2010 average. This is one of the fast changing parts of the #Arctic during the boreal summer season.
Data from @CopernicusECMWF@masto.ai reanalysis.
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Wednesday El Niño update - Unsurprisingly, sea surface temperatures still remain record warm across the central Pacific. But when discussing headlines like the “strongest” El Niño, it’s an oversimplification to ignore the role of long-term tropical warming (from climate change).
Data: OISSTv2.1 🌊
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Last month saw a very large temperature anomaly gradient between the Weddell Sea region and West #Antarctica. In fact, this was one of the very few places anywhere on the globe with colder than average temperatures in August, especially compared to older baselines (e.g., 1951-1980). Data from ERA5.
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Boosted by @Dragofix@veganism.social
The global mean temperature over the last 3 months was record warm (June-July-August). We don't truly experience the global mean of course, so here's a look at those departures regionally around the world...
🟥 warmer than average
🟦 colder than average
Dataset described in https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-24-0012.1
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Trends in September temperatures over land areas for the last 50 years... note some of the regional hotspots in the darker red shading
Data from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/noaa-global-temp
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
"She said the heat waves Europe experienced over the summer, especially in coastal areas, were “exacerbated” by high sea surface temperatures." via @mongabay@mastodon.green at https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/global-ocean-breaks-records-with-100-days-of-heat-as-el-nino-adds-new-threat/
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Boosted by @Dragofix@veganism.social
"Scientists say prolonged warming is disrupting fisheries, damaging coral reefs, raising sea levels and threatening economies that depend on healthy seas." via https://www.rfi.fr/en/environment/20260911-how-100-days-of-record-ocean-heat-is-reshaping-life-in-and-around-the-seas
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
Last month showed unusually warm sea surface temperatures across much of the #Arctic Ocean, especially in the Kara Sea, Baffin Bay, and Labrador Sea. There's been an interesting contrast in ocean temperature departures across the East Siberian Sea, as well as some lingering sea ice.
Data from NOAA OISSTv2.1.
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Have a good week! Here's your Monday ice update - #Arctic sea ice extent is currently the 14th lowest on record (JAXA data)...
• about 180,000 km² above the 2010s mean
• about 910,000 km² below the 2000s mean
• about 2,030,000 km² below the 1990s mean
• about 2,730,000 km² below the 1980s mean
More graphics: https://zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-ice-extentconcentration/
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
Signal from El Niño is starting to reveal itself when comparing monthly temperature departures across latitude bands, with a larger relative contribution to mean warming.
[Plot shows zonal-mean surface air temperature anomalies, where latitude = y-axis (not scaled by distance). Data: GISTEMPv4.]
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
August was an extraordinary month, and we're just getting started.
"Record-warm temperatures spanned 13.2% of the global surface, setting an all-time August record & ranking third-highest for any month since 1951, behind May 2024 (14.3%) and April 2024 (13.9%)." (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/global/202608/mean-monthly-temperature-records-across-the-globe)
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
"In the shorter term, a strong El Niño is adding a natural warming boost on top of the heat increase driven by carbon emissions." via @LATimes@flipboard.com at https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-09-10/august-is-tied-for-worlds-hottest-month-ever-recorded
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
#Arctic climate rankings are now in for July 2026: https://zacklabe.com/archive-2026/
No update available for sea-ice volume or thickness. #SciComm #DataViz #OpenScience #OpenData
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Have a good week! Here's your Monday ice update - #Arctic sea ice extent is currently the 10th lowest on record (JAXA data)...
• about 90,000 km² above the 2010s mean
• about 1,030,000 km² below the 2000s mean
• about 2,100,000 km² below the 1990s mean
• about 2,780,000 km² below the 1980s mean
More graphics: https://zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-ice-extentconcentration/
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
"As August came to a close, nearly 8.3 million acres had burned across the U.S., setting a year-to-date record. This isn’t particularly surprising."
➡️ Read our latest monthly state of the climate report: https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-briefings/august-2026
🎨 Download and share more global/U.S. climate visuals too: https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-briefings/august-2026#additional-graphics
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
Yesterday I showed how global sea ice cover has taken a rapid tumble, so here's a closer look at that change in #Antarctic sea ice. It's currently the 2nd lowest extent on record for the date.
See more at https://zacklabe.com/antarctic-sea-ice-extentconcentration/ Data from the NSIDC.
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
"Across the West, drought update states that the combination of a record-low snowpack, record hot temperatures and the unremarkable start to the monsoon season are stressing water supplies." via https://www.aspentimes.com/news/colorado-drought-worsens/
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Patterns of August temperatures in the #Antarctic when averaged by decade...
Data from @CopernicusECMWF@masto.ai ERA5 reanalysis.
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
The average global temperature so far this year (for the January-July period) is the 3rd warmest on record since the start of this dataset...
This data is using NOAAGlobalTempv6.1.0: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/noaa-global-temp
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Boosted by @trending@homestead.social
July 2026 was the hottest month on record in NASA's GISTEMPv4 dataset, though some uncertainty there within the range of 2023 and 2024. Check out the map of anomalies... 🥹
🟥 warmer than average
🟦 colder than average
Data from https://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs_v4/
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Boosted by @gvenema@fairmove.net
July 2026 was the warmest month for average temperatures on record across the contiguous U.S., even surpassing the Dust Bowl. This was especially due to an increase in those dangerously high overnight temperatures.
📣 REGISTER for our next briefing to learn more: https://climatecentral-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/5817787808929/WN_bWZWT_KzSzOa7QaKahBg1A
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Boosted by @Dragofix@veganism.social
July 2026 set a new record for the month for near-surface air temperatures across the Tropics. Note the long-term warming trend as well (in all months), as indicated by the shading of the older (blue) to more recent years (red).
Data from https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.f17050d7
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"“This shows we’re subconsciously getting used to the record-breaking heat,” he says, as it becomes the norm." via https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/increase-extreme-heat-days-climate-change
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Evolution of July #Arctic sea ice and sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies during the satellite-era...
A summary of last month can be found from @CopernicusECMWF@masto.ai at https://climate.copernicus.eu/sea-ice-cover-july-2026
*SST data set (OISSTv2.1) is only available since about 1982
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Check out this animation of 100 years of average July temperature anomalies over global land areas (through this year)...
Data from NOAAGlobalTemp v6.1.0: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/noaa-global-temp
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