For more Earth stories,
visit www.sciencenews.org
2010 ties record three analyses, the World Meteorological
Organization noted that 2010, 2005 and
for warmest year 1998 are effectively neck and neck.
The warmth of 2010 is “not surprising,
20th century’s global average considering that global surface temperatures have been climbing,” says Deke
exceeded for 34th year in row
Arndt of NOAA’s National Climatic Data
Temperature anomaly (°C)
Center in Asheville, N.C. The last decade -2 -1 0 1 2
By Alexandra Witze
has been the warmest since record- Between 2000 and 2009, more of the
In the race for hottest year on record, 2010 keeping began in 1880. globe warmed (red) than cooled (blue)
has joined 2005 and 1998 in a dead heat. Combined land and ocean surface tem- compared with the 1951–1980 average.
On January 12, NASA and the National peratures across the globe in 2010 were
OceanicandAtmosphericAdministration 0.62degrees Celsiushigherthanthe20th scale, 2010 was about 0.74 degrees
released independent analyses of global century average, NOAA reports. In the warmer than the average for 1951 to 1980.
surface temperature data for last year. contiguous United States, temperatures All the bean counting about which year
Both found that 2010 was statistically were 0.6 degrees above normal, making it was hottest obscures a deeper point, says
tied with 2005 for the title of hottest year, the 23rd warmest U.S. year on record. The Gavin Schmidt, a climatologist at the
followed closely by 1998 in third place. Northern Hemisphere had its warmest Goddard Institute who wasn’t involved
An analysis by the United Kingdom’s year on record, while the Southern Hemi- in the new analysis. “The baseline is get-
Met Office and the University of East sphere saw its sixth warmest, NOAA says. ting warmer and warmer every year,” he
Anglia ranks 2010 as the second-hottest The NASA analysis, produced by its says. Indeed, 2010 was the 34th year in a
year, just slightly behind 1998. (2005 was Goddard Institute for Space Studies in row in which global temperatures were
third in their estimation.) Looking at all New York City, found that, on a global higher than the 20th century average.
Go to http://www.rockauto.com
Go to http://www.rockauto.com
