January 2000 to December 2009 the warmest decade on record
In an earlier post:
- December Ocean Temperature 2nd Warmest.
- Overall 2009 Annual Temperatures Joint Fifth Warmest
Year 2009 was the 2nd warmest year on record, NASA GISS reported. As for the overall global temperatures, the year was only marginally cooler than 2005, the warmest on record (modern records began in 1880), sharing joint 2nd position with the years 1998, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2007, GISS analysis show.
- Average global temperatures have increased by about 0.8°C (1.5°F) in he past 130 years
- 2008 Was Earth’s Coolest Year Since 2000
- The ten warmest years on record occurred between 1997 and 2008.
Temperature anomalies for 2009. Acquired January 1, 2009 – December 31, 2009
Temperature anomalies for 2000–2009 acquired January 1, 2000 – December 31, 2009
These maps illustrate just how much warmer temperatures were in 2009 (top image) and the decade (2000-2009, lower image) compared to average temperatures recorded between 1951 and 1980 (a common reference period for climate studies). In both images, the most extreme warming, shown in red, was in the Arctic. Very few areas saw cooler than average temperatures, shown in blue in both time periods. Gray areas over Africa and parts of the Southern Ocean are places where temperatures were not recorded. NASA images by Robert Simmon, based on data from the Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Caption by Adam Voiland and Holli Riebeek. Edited by FEWW.
The map shows temperature changes for the last decade — January 2000 to December 2009 — relative to the 1951-1980 mean. Warmer areas are in red, cooler areas in blue. The largest temperature increases occurred in the Arctic and a portion of Antarctica. (Image credit: NASA). Click Image to enlarge.
Except for a leveling off between the 1940s and 1970s, Earth’s surface temperatures have increased since 1880. The last decade has brought the temperatures to the highest levels ever recorded. The graph shows global annual surface temperatures relative to 1951-1980 mean temperatures. As shown by the red line, long-term trends are more apparent when temperatures are averaged over a five year period. (Image credit: NASA). Click Image to enlarge.
As seen by the blue point farthest to the right on this graph, 2009 was the warmest year on record in the Southern Hemisphere. (Image credit: NASA). Click Image to enlarge.
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