2005 was the warmest year on record, according to a new NASA report. And the year鈥檚 record warmth is more notable than previous record-breaking years as there was no boost from the tropical El Ni帽o phenomenon.
The annual analysis by NASA鈥檚 (GISS) found the highest global surface temperature in more than a century of instrumental measurements was recorded in 2005. The analysis incorporates measurements on land, satellite measurements of the sea surface and ship-based analyses.
鈥淩ecent warming coincides with rapid growth of human-made greenhouse gases,鈥� says James Hansen, who led the study. And the warming seen is in line with that predicted by climate models, he says. 鈥淭he observed rapid warming thus gives urgency to discussions about how to slow greenhouse gas emissions.鈥�
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Other recent estimates did not put 2005 as the warmest year. For example, a December 2005 report by the UK鈥檚 Meteorological Office and researchers from the University of East Anglia said it was the second warmest on record. But the GISS report says it differs from other analyses by including temperature estimates up to 1200 kilometres away from the nearest measurement station.
In this way, it has been able to include data from the Arctic, where there are very few weather stations. This resulted in 2005 surpassing the previous record-holder, 1998, as the hottest year, although they were very close.
鈥淲e believe the remarkable Arctic warmth of 2005 is real, and the inclusion of estimated Arctic temperatures is the primary reason for our rank of 2005 as the warmest year,鈥� say the researchers.
High latitudes
The strongest El Ni帽o of the last century lifted the temperature in 1998 by 0.2掳C above the trend, whereas there was no such phenomenon to boost temperatures in 2005.
The GISS team warn that global warming is now 0.6掳C in the past three decades, and 0.8掳C in the past century. 鈥淚t is no longer correct to say that 鈥榤ost global warming occurred before 1940鈥�,鈥� they note.
The largest warmings in the last 50 years have occurred in Alaska, Siberia and the Antarctic Peninsula, they add.
However, while 2005 was the warmest year on record, the start of 2006 has brought extreme cold temperatures to parts of Europe and Asia. Russia, Ukraine and Poland have blamed scores of deaths on the freezing weather.
In Moscow, Russia, temperatures below -30掳C are the lowest in decades and a similar chill is holding the Baltic countries in its grip.
A cold snap earlier in January brought some of the heaviest snowfall on record to Japan 鈥� killing about 89 people, according to local reports.
