***The 1911 United Kingdom heatwave was a period of exceptionally high temperatures that lasted from early July to mid-September. It was one of the most severe heatwaves in UK history, with temperatures reaching 36.7 °C (98.1 °F), a record that stood for 79 years. The heatwave was accompanied by a severe drought, causing significant problems like spoiled food and increased mortality rates.
The heatwave began in early July and persisted until mid-September, with temperatures remaining high even in September.
The highest accepted temperature was 36.7 °C (98.1 °F), recorded on August 10th, breaking previous records.However, there were also reports of temperatures exceeding 38°C (100°F) in some locations.
The intense heat and lack of rain led to widespread drought conditions, impacting agriculture and causing food spoilage.
Mortality:
The heatwave resulted in a significant increase in deaths, particularly in urban areas.London, for example, saw an estimated 4,100 excess deaths during July, August, and September compared to the same period in 1910.
Other Effects:
The heatwave caused train tracks to buckle, crops to fail, and led to public health concerns due to spoiled food and milk.
And more Facts about CO2
The dinosaurs apparently breathed air that was much richer in oxygen than our air and lived in forests and grasslands that were far more combustible than ours.
At the time, atmospheric CO2 concentration was at a whopping 3000 to 9000 ppm!
The most distant period in time for which we have estimated CO2 levels is around the Ordovician period, 500 million years ago. At the time, atmospheric CO2 concentration was at a whopping 3000 to 9000 ppm! The average temperature wasn’t much more than 10 degrees C above today’s, and those of you who have heard of the runaway hothouse Earth scenario may wonder why it didn’t happen then. Major factors were that the Sun was cooler, and the planet’s orbital cycles were different.
CO2 levels are determined by the imbalance between carbon sequestration (burial in sediments, capture by plants), and carbon emissions (decomposition and volcanic activity). Imbalances in this system created a downward trend in CO2 levels, leading to a glaciation period around 300 million years ago. This was followed by a period of intense volcanic activity, doubling CO2 concentration to about 1000 ppm. Levels then dropped until they reached today’s concentrations during the Oligocene era, 33 to 23 million years ago, when temperatures were still 4 to 6 degrees C higher than today.
