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Embargoed until 08:30 on Tuesday 29 November 2011 - Warm global temperatures continue in 2011
This year is set to be the 11th warmest in a record spanning more than 150 years, according to climate scientists from the Met Office and the University of East Anglia.
The global average temperature from HadCRUT3 for January to
October 2011 was 14.36°C, 0.36°C above the 1961-1990 long term average.
The latest figures from the HadCRUT3 record uphold those
already published by NOAA NCDC and NASA GISS which are all run independently.
2011’s placing near the top of temperature datasets which go
back to 1850 continues a long-term warming trend in global climate.
This has seen each successive decade since 1950 warmer than
the last, with 2010 being one of the warmest individual years on record.
Peter Stott, Head of Climate Monitoring and Attribution at
the Met Office, said: “This year we have seen a very persistent
and strong La Niña, which brings cooler water to the surface of
the Pacific Ocean. This has a global impact on weather and
temperatures, and is one of the key reasons why this year does not
figure as highly as 2010 in the rankings.
"However, global temperature so far this year is
likely higher than it was during the La Niña events in 2008 and
1999–2000 – indicating a continuing warming trend combined with
natural variability."
Phil Jones, Director of the Climatic Research Unit at the
University of East Anglia, said that due to natural variability we
do not expect to see each year warmer than the last, but the
long-term trend is clear.
"The HadCRUT3 record, supported by the other
records, is one indicator amongst several which provide
overwhelming evidence that the climate has warmed," he said.
"Independent researchers analysing long term trends
of these indicators, have seen an increase in air, sea and land
temperatures, rising sea-levels, and decreasing Arctic sea-ice,
spring snow cover in the northern hemisphere and glacier extent."
Final figures for the whole of 2011 will be available in
March 2012.
Notes to editors:
* The 1961-90 global average mean temperature is 14.0 °C.
* Interannual variations of global surface temperature are
strongly affected by the warming influences of El Niño and the
cooling influences of La Niña in the Pacific Ocean. These are
quite small when compared to the total global warming since 1900
of about 0.8 °C but nevertheless typically reach about +/- 0.10
°C, and can strongly influence individual years.
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