Scientist claims that July 2023 is the hottest July in 120,000 years.
My question is: how can scientists accurately and reproducibly state this is [the hottest month of July globally in 120,000 years](https://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/the-hottest-july-in-120-000-years-what-s-in-store-for-australia-this-summer-20230719-p5dpm3.html)?
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The key word in your question is accurately. Accuracy can have many different resolutions such as 100:1 or 1,000,000:1. If you are meaning accuracy to the 8th digit or 36.12345678 degrees celsius at noon on a random Tuesday 120,000 years ago, the scientist cannot do that with the data we have.
What can be said with a great amount of certainty is the global average temperature in a given year or even greater amounts of years the further back the record is studies. Global average temperature is currently gathered at many, many sites around the world including land, sea, and ice masses. Imagine 1,000,000 sites gathering data every second for a whole day. There are ~~32,587,200~~ 86,400 seconds in a day. This comes to ~~32,587,200,000,000~~ 86,400,000,000 data points. This will give you a high degree of accuracy and mankind has been doing this for decades.
Next compare the known data to factors affected by temperature such as tree growth rings from around the world to polar ice samples that date back hundreds of thousands of years. The ice history can be quantified to correlate to specific global events such as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. A period representing 100 years of average global temperature can easily be identified. Place the extrapolated data for as far back as we can and you will have a simple chart showing all annual global average temperature.
The global average temperature of June is the highest point on the graph dating back at least 120,000 years.
edit to correct maths. Point still valid. We have a lot of data.
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