Global Temperature: 2013 was the fourth warmest year on record; 9 of the 10 warmest years on record have occured during the 21st century

THE final findings on global temperature for 2013 made by the NOAA Climate National Climate Data Center are not very good. December 2013 is the third warmest December since 1880; 2013 is one of the ten warmest years in the 1880-2013 period.

 

In particular, the average combined global land and ocean surface temperature for January–December 2013 tied with 2003 as the fourth warmest such period on record, at 0.62°C (1.12°F) above the 20th century average. Currently, the warmest year on record is 2010, which was 0.66°C (1.19°F) above average. To date, including 2013, 9 of the 10 warmest years on record have occured during the 21st century. The global annual temperature has increased at an average rate of 0.06°C (0.11°F) per decade since 1880 and at an average rate of 0.16°C (0.28°F) per decade since 1970.

 

In summary for 2013 as a whole, most regions across the globe were warmer than average. Notably, Australia observed its warmest year since national records began in 1910, at 1.20°C (2.16°F) above average and 0.17°C (0.31°F) higher than the previous record warmest such period in 2005. New Zealand recorded its third warmest year since its national records began in 1909. Argentina had its second warmest year since records began in 1961, behind only the record extreme warmth of 2012. In northern Europe, Finland tied as the fifth warmest year on record, at 2.0°C (3.6°F) above the 1961–1990 average. In southern Europe, the 2013 annually-averaged temperature for Spain was above average, but was the coolest year since 1997. Switzerland observed an annual temperature 0.8°C (1.4°F) above the 1961–1990 average, the coolest year since 2010. Belarus had an annual temperature 1.6°C (2.9°F) higher than the 1961–1990 average, the ninth warmest for the country since national records began in 1881. With a record warm end to the year, Russia observed its sixth warmest year since records began in 1891.

 

Finally, with regards to the only month of December, the average combined global land and ocean surface temperature for December 2013 was the third highest for December since records began in 1880, at 0.64°C (1.15°F) above the 20th century average of 12.2°C (54.0°F).

 

Source: LTEconomy elaboration on NOAA National Climate Data Center

 

LTEconomy, February 24^th, 2014

From NOAA Nacional Climate Data Center