2010 ties 2005 as hottest years on record
By Justin Gillis, New York Times
New government figures for the global climate show that 2010 was the wettest year in the historical record, and it tied 2005 as the hottest year since record-keeping began in 1880.
The new figures confirm that 2010 will go down as one of the more remarkable years in the annals of climatology. It featured prodigious snowstorms that broke seasonal records in the United States and Europe; a record-shattering summer heat wave that scorched Russia; strong floods that drove people from their homes in places like Pakistan, Australia, California and Tennessee; a severe die-off of coral reefs; and a continuation in the global trend of a warming climate.
Two agencies, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, reported Wednesday that the global average surface temperature for 2010 had tied the record set in 2005. The analyses differ slightly; in the NOAA version, the 2010 temperature was 1.12 degrees Fahrenheit above the average for the 20th century, which is 57 degrees.
It was the 34th year running that global temperatures have been above the 20th-century average; the last below-average year was 1976. The new figures show that 9 of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since the beginning of 2001.
The earth has been warming in fits and starts for decades, and a large majority of climatologists say that is because humans are releasing heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide level has increased about 40 percent since the Industrial Revolution.
“The climate is continuing to show the influence of greenhouse gases,” said David R. Easterling, a scientist at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.
BS
The data says otherwise, Mike.
Links related to this topic:
Some history and background about skeptics, their tactics
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/global_warming_deniers_and_their_proven_strategy_of_doubt/2285/
Antarctic ice melt tracked via satelite
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/high_above_the_earth_satellites_track_melting_ice_/2292/
On skeptics, and “Climate-gate”
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_case_against_the_skeptics_stirring_up_the_warming_debate/2218/
“You can have an opinion that is contrary to the facts that if you continue repeating enough, people will come to agree with. Especially if they don’t actually understand the scientific basis for this concern about climate change”
Transient high temperatures reflect a change in the transport of heat, rather than an absolute increase. After all, the oceans represent an enormous heat sink that are quite capable of absorbing global warming, given an opportunity to dissipate the warmth.
The idea that the globe is warming belies the reality that the Gulf Stream has stopped transporting warm water to the North Atlantic. Sure, the glaciers are melting in Greenland, but the net effect is that Britain and Europe will face a mini ice age for decades to come.
The US faces a similar mini ice age as a result of snow cover in Siberia diverting the jet stream.
This month snow fell in every state, except for Florida. Of course, weather and climate are very different, but if you live in the US, Europe or Australia, you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind, or our climate, is blowing.
Those who still believe that greenhouse gases must be reduced, as I do, would be well advised to investigate thorium reactors. This country could eliminate fossil fuel use in 5 years if we switched to thorium, which contains 200 times more energy than uranium and 3.5 million times more energy than coal. There is enough thorium in this country to meet our current energy needs for the next one thousand years. Thorium reactors can also be used to render nuclear waste harmless. The US built these reactors in the 50s and 60s, but abandoned them in favor of uranium reactors which can and have been used to breed weapons grade materials.
False: “the reality that the Gulf Stream has stopped transporting warm water to the North Atlantic.”
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1842161/nasa_atlantic_conveyor_belt_not_slowing/index.html
Fascinating link, thanks fpogen.
You are welcome. There is a lot going on out there, lots of information to take in. Yes, Greenland melting could introduce enough cold water to alter the current, but if the water coming in from the south is overall, warmer, the outcome is different and the point on the current where the cold water should sink down, will be different.