Atmosphere Journal Entry
2008 Was Eighth Warmest Year (February 2, 2009)
Map shows global surface temperatures compared to the average between 1951 and 1980. The hottest areas in brown were up to 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit higher than normal. NASA.
2008 was the eighth warmest year on record, according to the National Climatic Data Center. The planet's average temperature was nearly 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit (0.5 degrees Celsius) above the long-term average of 57.0 degrees F (14.4 degrees C). All of the ten warmest years on record have been since 1997. It's yet another shocking sign of the growing reality of global warming.
The parts of the planet with the biggest temperature rise include Europe, Asia, the Arctic, and Antarctica, with temperatures up to 3.5 degrees F higher than normal in some spots. The United States had temperatures close to its long-term average. Much of the western Pacific Ocean was cooler than normal from the chilling effects of a strong La Niña over the first half of 2008.
Since 1980, global land and surface temperature have climbed steadily. Scientists blame the rise on the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels.
