Sections
Log in
Top News
U.S. News World News Featured Voices
Odd News
Entertainment
Movies Music TV
Sports
Soccer NFL NBA MLB NHL Golf Horse Racing Tennis Col. Football Col. Basketball
Photos
News Entertainment Sports Features Archives
More...
Defense Featured Science Health Archive Almanac
About Feedback
About Feedback
Search
Trending
SeaWorld rescue
Stonehenge
Ariana Grande
NATO exercise
Obama Center
Border wall
Japan embarrassed
Winter storm
Food pantries
Super snow moon
Anadarko
Science News
Jan. 18, 2018 / 3:15 PM

NASA: 2017 was second warmest year since 1880

By
Brooks Hays
The map shows Earth’s average global temperature from 2013 to 2017 relative to the baseline average measured between 1951 and 1980. Yellows, oranges, and reds reveal the parts of the planet that were warmer than the baseline. Photo by NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio

Jan. 18 (UPI) -- NASA temperature measurements suggest 2017 was the second warmest year since detailed record keeping began in 1880. NOAA data suggests last year was the third warmest in modern history.

"The minor difference in rankings is due to the different methods used by the two agencies to analyze global temperatures, although over the long-term the agencies' records remain in strong agreement," NOAA announced in a news release.

When mitigating the impacts of the El Nino pattern in the Pacific, the data showed 2017 was the warmest year on record.

According to scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, the average global temperature in 2017 was 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the average temperature between 1951 and 1980. Only 2016 was hotter, according to NASA.

RELATED Climate change is destroying Earth's natural wonders, UN report warns

"NASA's temperature analyses incorporate surface temperature measurements from 6,300 weather stations, ship- and buoy-based observations of sea surface temperatures, and temperature measurements from Antarctic research stations," the space agency wrote in a news release.

Surface temperatuers on both land and sea were significantly higher than the 20th century average during the first several months of 2017. It became clear early on that 2017 was going to continue the warming trend.

In November, the UN's World Meteorological Organization predicted 2017 would be one of the top three warmest years on record. They were correct.

RELATED 2017 'very likely' to be one of top three hottest years on record

"The past three years have all been in the top three years in terms of temperature records," Petteri Taalas, secretary general of the WMO, said toward the end of last year. "This is part of a long term warming trend."

NOAA found the average surface temperature on land in 2017 was 2.36 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the 20th century average, while the average global sea surface temperature was 1.21 degrees Fahrenheit warmer.

All six of the warmest years on record have occurred since 2010. The dramatic warming continues to be especially pronounced in the Arctic, where sea ice and glaciers are shrinking at alarming rates. The minimum sea ice extent also set a new record low in Antarctica in 2017.

RELATED Warm air shrunk the ozone hole to a record low in 2017

Though NOAA and NASA use different analytic methods, they both use largely the same dataset. And both use statistical methods designed to minimize potential skewed effects of measurement variability.

"NASA estimates that 2017's global mean change is accurate to within 0.1 degree Fahrenheit, with a 95 percent certainty level," the agency said.

RELATED Urban flooding on the rise, as countryside dries up

RELATED Climate scientists find link between sea surface temperatures and droughts

RELATED Great Plains to see more dust storms in second half of the 21st century

RELATED Climate scientists predict wet future for California

RELATED Polar vortex is back, and a warmer Arctic may be to blame

RELATED Another study disproves global warming 'hiatus'
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more UPI news and photos.

Trending Stories

Stonehenge's bluestones traced to 5,000-year-old Welsh quarries
Stress explains the unique shape of Rosetta's Comet 67P
Watch February's super snow moon, year's brightest
Great white sharks are capable of high speeds but prefer to mosey
Machine learning-based discoveries still need to be checked by humans

Photo Gallery

 
Balloons take flight at Al-Ula Balloon Festival in Saudi Arabia

Latest News

Pope Francis calls Catholic bishops to Rome for sex abuse summit
WWE Smackdown: Kofi Kingston becomes No.1 contender
Samsung opens first retail stores in U.S. -- in NYC, LA and Houston
White House condemns terrorist attack in India
Morning exercise may lower blood pressure for older, obese people
 
Back to Article
/
Back to top
About UPI Contact Feedback Advertisements Submit News Tips
Copyright © 2019 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of UsePrivacy Policy