Heat lingers in the Alps

Intense heat has persisted in the Alps for more than a week, with some days experiencing temperatures typically associated with a heatwave. This unusual warmth extends beyond the Mediterranean coast and Corsica, affecting higher elevations as well.

Climate spiral visualization

The "climate spiral," a visualization of global temperature changes, was popularized in 2016 by climatologist Ed Hawkins from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. It provides a striking visual representation of how global temperatures have evolved over time.

Data source and time frame

The climate spiral is constructed using data from NASA, tracing monthly temperature anomalies from 1880 to July 2023. The reference period used to calculate these anomalies is the thirty years between 1951 and 1980.

Credit for the visualization

The climate spiral is credited to the Scientific Visualization Studio at NASA, which is known for creating compelling visual representations of complex scientific data.