2008 was Earth's coolest year since 2000

February 24, 2009

Climatologists at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City have found that 2008 was the coolest year since 2000. The GISS analysis also showed that 2008 is the ninth warmest year since continuous instrumental records were started in 1880.

The ten warmest years on record have all occurred between 1997 and 2008.

The GISS analysis found that the global average surface air temperature was 0.44°C (0.79°F) above the global mean for 1951 to 1980, the baseline period for the study. Most of the world was either near normal or warmer in 2008 than the norm. Eurasia, the Arctic, and the Antarctic Peninsula were exceptionally warm, while much of the Pacific Ocean was cooler than the long-term average.

The relatively low temperature in the tropical Pacific was due to a strong La Niña that existed in the first half of the year, the research team noted. La Niña and El Niño are opposite phases of a natural oscillation of equatorial Pacific Ocean temperatures over several years. La Niña is the cool phase. The warmer El Niño phase typically follows within a year or two of La Niña.

The temperature in the United States in 2008 was not much different than the 1951-1980 mean, which makes it cooler than all the previous years this decade.

"Given our expectation that the next El Niño will begin this year or in 2010, it still seems likely that a new global surface air temperature record will be set within the next one to two years, despite the moderate cooling effect of reduced solar irradiance," said James Hansen, director of GISS. The Sun is just passing through solar minimum, the low point in its 10- to 12-year cycle of electromagnetic activity, when it transmits its lowest amount of radiant energy toward Earth.

The GISS analysis of global surface temperature incorporates data from the Global Historical Climatology Network of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climate Data Center; the satellite analysis of global sea surface temperature of Richard Reynolds and Thomas Smith of NOAA; and Antarctic records of the international Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research.

"GISS provides the ranking of global temperature for individual years because there is a high demand for it from journalists and the public," said Hansen. "The rank has scientific significance in some cases, such as when a new record is established. But rank can also be misleading because the difference in temperature between one year and another is often less than the uncertainty in the global average."

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

---

---

	Temperature (Blastoff! Readers: First Science) by Kay Manolis (Author) The human body produces sweat to keep itself at a healthy temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Young readers will discover hot and cold and learn the effects of temperature.
	Temperature: Heating Up and Cooling Down (Amazing Science (Picture Window)) by Stille (Author), Darlene R. (Author), Boyd (Illustrator), Sheree (Illustrator) A blanket isn't hot. So how does a blanket keep you warm? Find the answer to this and other hot facts in this book about temperatures.
	Inventing Temperature: Measurement and Scientific Progress (Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Science) by Hasok Chang (Author) What is temperature, and how can we measure it correctly? These may seem like simple questions, but the most renowned scientists struggled with them throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. In Inventing Temperature, Chang examines how scientists first created thermometers; how they measured temperature beyond the reach of standard thermometers; and how they managed to assess the reliability and accuracy of these instruments without a circular reliance on the instruments themselves. In a discussion that brings together the history of science with the philosophy of science, Chang presents the simple eet challenging epistemic and technical questions about these instruments, and the complex web of abstract philosophical issues surrounding them. Chang's book shows that many items of...
	Temperatures Rising (Kimani Romance) by Brenda Jackson (Author) Sherri Griffin knows all about hot, stormy weather. The kind where all a girl wants to do is strip down to her La Perla lingerie. A successful radio producer, Sherri's had to weather all kinds of storms. But nothing could prepare her for the force of football star turned sports DJ Terrence Jeffries. Never give your heart; never get hurt. That's the credo gorgeous, arrogant Terrence has always lived by. And he's looking to add Sherri to his all-star roster of lovely conquests. But a hurricane is poised to hit the Keys, leaving Sherri and Terrence stranded...together. While the gathering clouds bring gale winds and pounding seas, Sherri and Terrence are making their own shelter from the storm. And walking right into the eye of a hurricane of passion.
	Is It Hot or Cold?: Learning to Use a Thermometer (Math for the Real World) by Carrie Stuart (Author)
	Temperatures Rising by Sandra Brown (Author) Darkly handsome with an arrogant edge, architectural engineer Scout Ritland is the kind of American man who spells trouble. Chantal duPont should know, for she has experienced the best and worst of the country and its people—including one who broke her heart. Yet here she is, home on sultry Parrish Island, putting herself in the way of another bold Yankee. This time, however, it’s for a good cause: Scout is the one man who can help her village, and she’s not about to let him get the better of her—no matter how much she may want to. Fresh from completing his work on the island’s new luxury resort, Scout’s ready for a little recreation—though being kidnapped and shot isn’t on his agenda. But when he catches sight of an exotic beauty with electric blue eyes, events...
	Hypersonic and High-Temperature Gas Dynamics, Second Edition (AIAA Education) by J. Anderson Jr. (Author) This book is the second edition of a successful, self-contained text for those students and readers interested in learning hypersonic flow and high-temperature gas dynamics. Like the first edition, it assumes no prior familiarity with either subject on the part of the reader. If you have never studied hypersonic and/or high-temperature gas dynamics before, and if you have never worked extensively in the area, then this book is for you. On the other hand, if you have worked and/or are working in these areas, and you want a cohesive presentation of the fundamentals, a development of important theory and techniques, a discussion of the salient results with emphasis on the physical aspects, and a presentation of modern thinking in these areas, then this book is also for you. In other words,...
	Becoming a Contagious Church: Increasing Your Church's Evangelistic Temperature by Mark Mittelberg (Author) Discover a Proven Approach to Raising Your Church's Evangelistic Temperature Evangelism. It's one of the highest values in the church. So why do so few churches put real effort into it? Maybe it's because we don't understand the evangelistic potential of the church well enough to get excited about it. Becoming a Contagious Church will change that. Revised and updated, this streamlined edition dispels outdated preconceptions and reveals evangelism as it really can be. What's more, it walks you through a 6-Stage Process and includes a brand-new 6-Stage Process assessment tool for taking your church beyond mere talk to infections energy, action, and lasting commitment. 'This book is not optional! It's required reading for all who are serious about reaching their communities for Christ....
	How Do We Measure? - Temperature by Chris Woodford (Author) Hot, cold, warm. What exactly is temperature and how is it measured? In investigating these questions, readers of this volume will discover the connection between temperature and energy, how thermometers work, and other aspects the measurement of temperature throughout history.
	Room Temperature by Nicholson Baker (Author) In his second novel, Baker turns a young father's feeding-time reverie into a catalog of the minutiae of domestic love.