How Long Has The Earth Been Warming – The map shows Earth’s average global temperature from 2013 to 2017, compared to the baseline average from 1951 to 1980, according to an analysis by NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Yellows, oranges and reds indicate regions warmer than the baseline. Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio.
In 2017, Earth’s global surface temperatures were the second warmest since 1880, according to a NASA analysis.
How Long Has The Earth Been Warming
Continuing the planet’s long-term warming trend, global average temperatures in 2017 were 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit (0.90 degrees Celsius) warmer than the 1951-1980 average, according to scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York. This is second only to global temperatures in 2016.
Climate Change: Evidence And Causes
In a separate, independent analysis, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that 2017 was the third warmest year on record. The slight difference in the ranks is due to the different methods the two agencies use to analyze global temperatures, but over the long term, the agencies’ records are in strong agreement. Both analyzes show that the five hottest years on record have occurred since 2010.
Because weather station locations and measurement practices change over time, there are uncertainties in the interpretation of specific year-to-year global average temperature differences. Taking this into account, NASA estimated the global average change for 2017 to be accurate to 0.1 degrees Fahrenheit with 95 percent accuracy.
“Despite being colder than average temperatures anywhere on Earth, temperatures on the planet as a whole continue the rapid warming trend we’ve seen over the past 40 years,” said GISS director Gavin Schmidt.
The Earth’s long-term warming trend can be seen in this visualization of NASA’s global temperature record, which shows how the planet’s temperatures have changed over time compared to the base average from 1951 to 1980. The record is shown as a continuous five -year average. . Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio / Kathryn Mersmann. Download the high definition video here.
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The average surface temperature of the planet has risen in the last century by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit (a little over 1 degree Celsius); This is a change largely due to increased carbon dioxide and other man-made emissions into the atmosphere. Last year was the third consecutive year that global temperatures were 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) above levels at the end of the 19th century.
Events such as El Niño or La Niña, which heat or cool the upper reaches of the tropical Pacific Ocean and cause corresponding changes in global wind and weather patterns, contribute to short-term changes in the global average temperature. A warming El Niño event was in effect for most of 2015 and the first third of 2016. Even without an El Niño event—and with a La Niña starting in the final months of 2017—last year’s temperatures were on record from NASA between 2015 and 2016. .
In an analysis where the effects of recent El Niño and La Niño patterns are statistically excluded, 2017 is expected to be the warmest year on record.
Weather dynamics often affect regional temperatures, so not every region on Earth has experienced similar amounts of warming. NOAA found that the 2017 average annual temperature for the 48 contiguous United States was the third warmest on record.
Medieval Warm Period
NASA’s temperature analysis includes surface temperature measurements from 6,300 weather stations, observations of sea surface temperatures on ships and buildings, and temperature measurements from Antarctic research stations.
The raw measurements are analyzed using an algorithm that takes into account different spacing of temperature stations around the world and urban heating effects that may distort the results. These calculations produce the global average temperature deviations from the base period of 1951 to 1980.
NOAA scientists used many of the same raw temperature data, but with a different base time and different methods, to analyze Earth’s polar regions and global temperatures.
The full 2017 surface temperature dataset and the full methodology used to perform the temperature calculation are available at:
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GISS is a laboratory in the Earth Sciences Division of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The laboratory is affiliated with Columbia University’s Earth Institute and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in New York.
NASA uses the unique perspective of space to better understand the Earth as an interconnected system. The agency also uses air and ground monitoring and develops new ways to observe and study Earth with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. NASA shares this knowledge with the global community and works with institutions in the United States and around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our planet. According to NASA’s independent analysis, the Earth’s global surface temperature in 2018 was the fourth warmest since 1880. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
According to scientists from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, global temperatures in 2018 were 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit (0.83 degrees Celsius) warmer than the 1951-1980 average. Globally, 2018 temperatures lag behind 2016, 2017 and 2015. The past five years, combined, are the warmest years on modern record.
“2018 is an extremely hot year, again at the zenith of the long-term global warming trend,” said GISS director Gavin Schmidt.
Climate Change: Global Temperature
Since the 1880s, the average global surface temperature has increased by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius). According to Schmidt, the warming is mostly due to increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from human activities.
The Earth’s long-term warming trend can be seen in this visualization of NASA’s global temperature record, which shows how the planet’s temperatures have changed over time compared to the base average from 1951 to 1980. The record is shown as a continuous five -year average. . Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio / Kathryn Mersmann. Download high definition video and additional images here.
Weather dynamics often affect regional temperatures, so not every region on Earth has experienced similar amounts of warming. NOAA found that the 2018 average annual temperature for the 48 contiguous United States was the 14th warmest on record.
Warming trends were strongest in the Arctic region, where sea ice loss continued in 2018. Additionally, mass loss from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets continued to contribute to sea level rise. Rising temperatures can also contribute to longer fire seasons and some extreme weather events, according to Schmidt.
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“The long-term effects of global warming are already being felt in coastal flooding, heat waves, heavy rain and ecosystem change,” said Schmidt.
NASA’s temperature analysis includes surface temperature measurements from 6,300 weather stations, observations of sea surface temperatures on ships and buildings, and temperature measurements from Antarctic research stations.
The line chart shows annual temperature anomalies from 1880 to 2018 relative to the 1951-1980 average recorded by NASA, NOAA, the Japan Meteorological Agency, the Berkeley Earth Research Group and the Met Office Hadley Center (UK). Although there are slight variations from year to year, all five temperature records show peaks and falls in sync with each other. All show rapid warming in recent decades, and all show the warmest of recent decades. Credit: NASA’s Earth Observatory
The raw measurements are analyzed using an algorithm that takes into account various spacing of worldwide temperature stations and urban heat island effects that can skew the results. These calculations produce the global average temperature deviations from the base period of 1951 to 1980.
Global Warming: Earth Has 50% Chance Of Exceeding 1.5 Degrees Celsius In Next 5 Years, Scientists Say
Because weather station locations and measurement practices change over time, there is some uncertainty in the interpretation of specific year-to-year global average temperature differences. Taking this into account, NASA estimated the global average change for 2018 to be accurate to 0.1 degrees Fahrenheit with 95 percent accuracy.
NOAA scientists used many of the same raw temperature data, but with a different base time and different interpolations to the polar and other data-poor regions of the Earth. NOAA’s analysis found that global temperatures in 2018 were 1.42 degrees Fahrenheit (0.79 degrees Celsius) above the 20th century average.
NASA’s full 2018 surface temperature dataset—and the complete methodology used to do the temperature calculation—is available at:
GISS is a laboratory in the Earth Sciences Division of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The laboratory is affiliated with Columbia University’s Earth Institute and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in New York.
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NASA uses the unique perspective of space to better understand the Earth as an interconnected system. The agency also uses air and ground monitoring and develops new ways to observe and study Earth with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. NASA shares this knowledge with the global community and works with institutions in the United States and around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our planet. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
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