January 19, 2012
For Earth, December 2011 is tied with 1987 and 2004 as the 10th warmest December on record since 1880. At an average of 12.22°C, last month's global temperature is 0.46°C higher than the 20th Century average.
The data and information was posted January 19, 2012 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its National Climate Data Center (NCDC) in the USA.
Annually, 2011 is the 11th warmest year on record. The year 2010 tied with 2005 as the warmest years.
More details about global temperature are available in the State of the Climate reports (Global Analysis) at the NOAA-NCDC website. These reports present preliminary, global data that has been gathered from monitoring stations and leading institutions around the world. The reports include a Global Hazardssection that gives a global update on drought & wildfires, flooding, storms, severe winter weather, and ecosystems impacts. A Snow and Ice section reports on snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere and sea ice extent in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
NOTE: Global temperatures set out in the CO2Now graphic (above) are computed from NOAA estimates of global average temperature for the 20th century and adding the current 20th-century anomaly.
More Info from NOAA-NCDC:
NOAA NDCC | State of the Climate Global Analysis | REPORT
NOAA NDCC | Global land and ocean surface temperature anomalies since 1880 | DATA
NOAA NCDC | Q&As about global surface temperature anomalies | QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
NOAA NCDC | 2011 Annual State of the Climate Global Analysis | PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS
NOAA NCDC | 2010 Annual State of the Climate Highlights | 8 Page PDF
Related:
GISS | Global Temperature in 2011, Trends, and Prospects
Climate Interactive | UNEP Emissions Gap Report & Temperature-Related Tools
The Royal Society | Four degrees and beyond
