Hotter than ever: New international report adds to evidence of a warming world

While climate change is well-established science, it never hurts to explore this crucial matter in greater detail. The most recent report, called State of the Climate and released by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric  Administration, tells us loud and clear: the Earth is warming fast, and it’s hotter than it’s ever been.

The report compares 10 climate indicators measured by 160 research groups in 48 countries. Each of the past three decades was the hottest on record. In other studies, the NOAA has concluded that 2010 is shaping up to out-heat all previous years.

Of the 10 measurements, seven are rising – air temperature over land, sea-surface temperature, air temperature over oceans, sea level, ocean heat, humidity and the temperature of the troposphere, which is the atmosphere closest to the Earth’s surface. Three are declining – Arctic sea ice, glaciers and spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere. When you add it up, you get a worrying warming trend with serious implications for life on the planet: more severe weather events, new water patterns and serious alterations in worldwide ecology.

Click here to read the full report: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/cmb/bams-sotc/climate-assessment-2009-lo-rez.pdf

Click here for a video summary and visual climate indicators: http://www.climate.gov/#understandingClimate