Last year was the 34th year in a row that global temperatures were above the 20th century average, according to new figures from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
NASA and the NOAA say 2010 tied with 2005 as the hottest year since meaningful global temperature records first appeared around 1880. Land and ocean temperatures averaged 1.12 degrees Fahrenheit (0.6 degrees Celsius) above the average for the last century, the figures show.
“Several exceptional heat waves occurred during 2010, bringing record-high temperatures and affecting tens of millions of people,” the NOAA said. “The massive heat wave brought Russia its warmest summer on record. At least 15,000 deaths in Russia were attributed to the heat.”
The last year that annual average temperature was below average was 1976. Nine of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since the beginning of 2001. Other international studies of global temperature still have 1998 as the hottest year on record, although by a very small margin. All measurements show that average global temperatures in the 2000s were hotter than the 1990s as was each successive decade back to the 1970s.
Bloomberg 13/1/11, Boston Globe 12/1/11
