ASTANA. KAZINFORM – Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA have announced that 2015 was the hottest year, by far, since record keeping began in 1880.
The NOAA reports that average temperature across terrestrial and ocean surfaces was 1.62°F (0.90°C) above the 20th century average.
The globally-averaged land-only surface temperature was 2.39°F (1.33°C) above, and sea surface temperature were 1.33°F (0.74°C) above the average.
Both numbers are the highest in 136 years of record keeping, and by the highest margins. The five highest temperatures for any month on record all occurred in 2015.
Previously, 2014 was the hottest year on record, and now nine out of ten years with highest temperatures have occurred since 2000; 1998 rounding out the group. This leads scientists to believe that the trend will continue.
A National Climate Assessment study of tree rings, ice cores, and corals showed that temperatures over the last several decades are “clearly unusual,” and warmer than any time in the last 1300 years, “or longer.”
Currently, President Barack Obama has been making efforts to counter climate change, including signing a pact with other countries in Paris recently in a landmark agreement to work to mitigate the causes of climate change and the effects of global warming.
“But even if the planet wasn’t at stake; even if 2014 wasn’t the warmest year on record - until 2015 turned out even hotter - why would we want to pass up the chance for American businesses to produce and sell the energy of the future?” Obama said in his State of the Union address.
Kazinform refers to Trend.az