Long-Term Climate Warming Trend Sunstained in 2013   
       
   Jan. 21, 2014:  NASA scientists say 2013 tied with 2009 and 2006 for the   
   seventh warmest year since 1880, continuing a long-term trend of rising global   
   temperatures. With the exception of 1998, the 10 warmest years in the 134-year   
   record all have occurred since 2000, with 2010 and 2005 ranking as the warmest   
   years on record.   
       
   NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, which analyzes   
   global surface temperatures on an ongoing basis, released an updated report   
   Tuesday on temperatures around the globe in 2013. The comparison shows how   
   Earth continues to experience temperatures warmer than those measured several   
   decades ago.   
       
   "Long-term trends in surface temperatures are unusual and 2013 adds to the   
   evidence for ongoing climate change," GISS climatologist Gavin Schmidt said.   
   "While one year or one season can be affected by random weather events, this   
   analysis shows the necessity for continued, long-term monitoring."   
       
   [There were some global pictures here, but when I clicked on them, I was sent   
   to a "Countdown to Pluto" video]   
       
    NASA's global temperature data and trends since 1950. Image Credit: NASA's   
   Earth Observatory [Larger image]   
       
   The average temperature in 2013 was 58.3 degrees Fahrenheit (14.6 Celsius),   
   which is 1.1 F (0.6 C) warmer than the mid-20th century baseline. The average   
   global temperature has risen about 1.4 degrees F (0.8 C) since 1880, according   
   to the new analysis. Exact rankings for individual years are sensitive to data   
   inputs and analysis methods.   
       
   Scientists emphasize that weather patterns always will cause fluctuations in   
   average temperatures from year to year, but the continued increases in   
   greenhouse gas levels in Earth's atmosphere are driving a long-term rise in   
   global temperatures. Each successive year will not necessarily be warmer than   
   the year before, but with the current level of greenhouse gas emissions,   
   scientists expect each successive decade to be warmer than the previous.   
       
   Auroras Underfoot (signup)Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that traps heat   
   and plays a major role in controlling changes to Earth's climate. It occurs   
   naturally and also is emitted by the burning of fossil fuels for energy.   
   Driven by increasing man-made emissions, the level of carbon dioxide in   
   Earth's atmosphere presently is higher than at any time in the last 800,000   
   years.   
       
   The carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere was about 285 parts per million in   
   1880, the first year in the GISS temperature record. By 1960, the atmospheric   
   carbon dioxide concentration, measured at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric   
   Administration's (NOAA) Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, was about 315 parts   
   per million. This measurement peaked last year at more than 400 parts per   
   million.   
       
   While the world experienced relatively warm temperatures in 2013, the   
   continental United States experienced the 42nd warmest year on record,   
   according to GISS analysis. For some other countries, such as Australia, 2013   
   was the hottest year on record.   
       
   The temperature analysis produced at GISS is compiled from weather data from   
   more than 1,000 meteorological stations around the world, satellite   
   observations of sea-surface temperature, and Antarctic research station   
   measurements, taking into account station history and urban heat island   
   effects. Software is used to calculate the difference between surface   
   temperature in a given month and the average temperature for the same place   
   from 1951 to 1980. This three-decade period functions as a baseline for the   
   analysis. It has been 38 years since the recording of a year of cooler than   
   average temperatures.   
       
   The GISS temperature record is one of several global temperature analyses,   
   along with those produced by the Met Office Hadley Centre in the United   
   Kingdom and NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. These   
   three primary records use slightly different methods, but overall, their   
   trends show close agreement.   
       
   Credits:   
   Production editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA   
       
   More information:   
   For images related to the data, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/1ekwJaf   
       
   For more information about Earth science at NASA, visit: http://   
   ww.nasa.gov/earth   
       
       
   Regards,   
       
   Roger   
      
   --- D'Bridge 3.98   
    * Origin: NCS BBS - Houma, LoUiSiAna (1:3828/7)