sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
2008 was globe's coolest year of the decade
Climate reports from two separate government agencies found that 2008 was the Earth's coolest year this decade. At the same time, data from both agencies (NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies and NOAA's National Climatic Data Center) identified 2008 as one of the 10 warmest years on record globally.
Although cool by recent standards, NASA says 2008 was still the 9th-warmest year on record (records extend back to 1880). The Earth's 10 warmest years have all occurred since 1997, which most scientists pinpoint as a sign of global warming due to the burning of fossil fuels.
NOAA's data found that 2008 tied with 2001 as the 8th-warmest year on record for the Earth, based on the combined average of worldwide land and ocean surface temperatures through December. NOAA and NASA analyses differ slightly in methodology, but both use data from NCDC - the federal government's official source for climate data.
The combined global land and ocean surface temperature from January-December was 0.88 degree above the 20th century average of 57 degrees, the 32nd consecutive year the Earth has been warmer than average. Since 1880, the Earth's temperature has increased at a rate of 0.09 degree per decade, which has increased to 0.29 degree per decade over the past 30 years
NASA found that most of the planet was either near average or warmer than average (see NASA map, above, click to enlarge). All of Europe, most of Asia, Africa, the Arctic and the Antarctic Peninsula were exceptionally warm, while small parts of central North America, southeastern South America, and much of the Pacific Ocean were slightly cooler than the long-term average
Arctic sea ice extent in 2008 reached its second-lowest melt season extent on record in September, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. The minimum of 1.80 million square miles was 0.80 million square miles below the 1979-2000 average minimum extent. -- Doyle Rice
http://blogs.usatoday.com/weather/2009/01/2008-was-globes.html
Climate reports from two separate government agencies found that 2008 was the Earth's coolest year this decade. At the same time, data from both agencies (NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies and NOAA's National Climatic Data Center) identified 2008 as one of the 10 warmest years on record globally.Although cool by recent standards, NASA says 2008 was still the 9th-warmest year on record (records extend back to 1880). The Earth's 10 warmest years have all occurred since 1997, which most scientists pinpoint as a sign of global warming due to the burning of fossil fuels.
NOAA's data found that 2008 tied with 2001 as the 8th-warmest year on record for the Earth, based on the combined average of worldwide land and ocean surface temperatures through December. NOAA and NASA analyses differ slightly in methodology, but both use data from NCDC - the federal government's official source for climate data.
The combined global land and ocean surface temperature from January-December was 0.88 degree above the 20th century average of 57 degrees, the 32nd consecutive year the Earth has been warmer than average. Since 1880, the Earth's temperature has increased at a rate of 0.09 degree per decade, which has increased to 0.29 degree per decade over the past 30 years
NASA found that most of the planet was either near average or warmer than average (see NASA map, above, click to enlarge). All of Europe, most of Asia, Africa, the Arctic and the Antarctic Peninsula were exceptionally warm, while small parts of central North America, southeastern South America, and much of the Pacific Ocean were slightly cooler than the long-term average
Arctic sea ice extent in 2008 reached its second-lowest melt season extent on record in September, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. The minimum of 1.80 million square miles was 0.80 million square miles below the 1979-2000 average minimum extent. -- Doyle Rice
http://blogs.usatoday.com/weather/2009/01/2008-was-globes.html