The global average temperature in 2011 makes it the ninth-warmest since 1880, NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies announced last week.
A separate report from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the average temperature for the USA in 2011 makes it the 23rd warmest year on record.
NASA reported that the global average surface temperature for 2011 was 0.51 C warmer than the mid-20th century baseline temperature.
The first 11 years of the 21st century have been notably hotter than the middle and late 20th century – the only year from the 20th century that was among the top 10 warmest years was 1998.
These high global temperatures also come with a cooling effect from a strong La Nina ocean temperature pattern and low solar activity for the past several years.
The NASA statement reported that the current higher temperatures are largely sustained by increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere – with current levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere exceeding 390ppm (parts per million), compared with 285 ppm in 1880 and 315 in 1960.
NOAA’s National Climatic Data Centre also reported that the average 2011 temperature for 2011 for the contiguous United States was 53.8 degrees F, 1 degree above the 20th century average.
The NOAA report also highlights that last year was a year of record-breaking climate extremes in the US, with 14 weather-related hazard amassing over $1 billion or more in damages each. However this number could rise to 15 if the damage from the pre-Halloween Northeast snowstorm reaches$1 billion. Damage costs are still being analysed and we’ll know soon.
