Brief: Oman's Shift (Climate Change and the Sultanate)

Written By: Michael Tsang, Ph.D. | Date: 2020

Exactly two-years ago this June of 2018, Oman set the record for the world's hottest 'low' (minimum) temperature, whereby the temperature in Quriyat, Oman never dropped below 42.6°C (108.7°F) over a period of 24-hours. Oman actually surpassed its previous record set in June 2011, whereby the temperature at Khassab Airport didn't drop below 41.9°C (107.4°F) for over 51-straight hours(!).

These extreme weather events in Oman demonstrate some of the shifting patterns in our Earth's climate due to increased GHG emissions. Namely, it highlights the overall shift in the Earth's surface temperatures, which are generally normally (Gaussian) distributed. And as the distribution shifts to the right, the world will experience not just higher average maximum temperatures, but in fact we will see higher 'low' (minimum) temperatures also, which records show are increasing at a faster rate than the shifting average and highs.