The Arctic Circle — the realm of polar bears and dwindling sea ice at the top of the world — hit 32 degrees Celsius in July.

This was the temperature in Banak, Norway on July 30, though some Norwegian areas even reached a couple degrees warmer, according to the European meteorology site severe-weather.eu. Banak sits atop northern Europe, over 560 kilometers above the bottom edge of the Arctic Circle.

The greater Northern Hemisphere and Europe have been repeatedly scorched by both record and near-record temperatures this summer, a consequence of overall rising global temperatures.

In the past 40 years, Earth’s climate has experienced an accelerated warming trend, which adds an extra level of background warming to hot spells — making heatwaves more extreme, climate scientists said.

The heat at the top of the world really drives that home.

The “warm season” in Banak is short, lasting around three months, but the very warmest day of the year, around July 23, is usually around 62 degrees Fahrenheit (16.67 degrees Celsius) — much cooler than temperatures there now. Overall, temperatures in northern Europe are between 8 to 13 degrees Celsius above average.

All-time temperature records were set in both Norway and Finland on July 30, including 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) in Verde near Banak, as extreme or near-record temperatures blanketed the region.

Persistent heat and dryness this summer have transformed normally verdant European countries into brown and yellow lands, and the continent’s extreme heat is expected to persist.

Meanwhile, across the planet, extreme heat has enhanced wildfire activity in the western part of the United States, even stoking a rare and imposing fire tornado.

Andrew Derocher, a professor at the University of Alberta who studies polar bears, said climate change is shrinking the ice bears usually hunt on, making them spend more time on land closer to humans.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【逐渐减少的】zhújiàn jiǎnshǎo de dwindling becoming smaller and smaller

【青葱的】qīngcōng de verdant green with vegetation

七月北极圈达到了32摄氏度的高温。这里位于地球最北端，是北极熊的栖息地，海上浮冰在不断融化。

这是挪威班纳克7月30日达到的高温，根据欧洲恶劣天气网的数据，挪威其他一些地区气温甚至更高。班纳克位于欧洲最北部，位于北极圈以北560公里。

由于全球气温上升，今年夏天，北半球和欧洲屡次遭遇创纪录或接近创纪录的高温。

气候学家表示，过去40年，地球的气候加速变暖，这使得全球出现了更多高温天气，热浪更加极端。

世界之巅的北极圈的高温天气证明了这一点。

班纳克的“温暖季节”很短，大约持续三个月，但一年中最温暖的一天，大约在7月23日，通常在62华氏度左右（约合16.7摄氏度）——比那里现在的温度低很多。总的来说，北欧的温度比过去的平均温度升高了8到13摄氏度。

7月30日，挪威和芬兰都创下了有史以来最高气温纪录，班纳克附近的佛得角气温达到86华氏度（30摄氏度），而极端或接近创纪录的高温覆盖了整个地区。

今年夏天持续的高温和干燥已经把一片青葱的欧洲国家烤成了棕黄色，预计欧洲大陆的极端高温还将持续。

与此同时，在全球范围内，极端高温加剧了美国西部的森林火灾，甚至引发了一场罕见且来势汹汹的火焰龙卷风。

阿尔伯塔大学研究北极熊的教授安德鲁·德罗谢尔说，气候变化正在减少北极熊可以捕猎的冰面，使它们更长时间在离人类更近的陆地上游荡。

(Chinadaily.com.cn)