It's Getting Warmer

  • Released Thursday, January 23, 2014
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With the coming and going of any given day's weather, it can be difficult to gauge how Earth’s climate is changing. But NASA scientists have refined a method to measure the planet's annual change in temperature since 1880, the start of the modern meteorological era. What they’ve found is that Earth is getting warmer. In fact, nine of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2000. The method involves comparing the annual average temperature to a 30-year-average taken from 1951 to 1980. By plotting the difference in temperature on a map, researchers can see how Earth’s warming trend has accelerated due to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. Watch the video to see how global temperatures have changed from 1950 through 2013.

See six decades of global warming in less than 30 seconds.

See six decades of global warming in less than 30 seconds.

Blue represents temperatures that are below average, while yellow, orange and red represent temperatures that are above average.

Before an intense three-decade warming period beginning in the 1970s, many years were cooler than average.

Before an intense three-decade warming period beginning in the 1970s, many years were cooler than average.

By the early 1980s, the strength of the warming trend was becoming clear.

By the early 1980s, the strength of the warming trend was becoming clear.

According to NASA, 2005 is tied with 2010 as the warmest year on record.

According to NASA, 2005 is tied with 2010 as the warmest year on record.

Three years are tied for the seventh warmest year on record: 2006, 2009 and 2013.

Three years are tied for the seventh warmest year on record: 2006, 2009 and 2013.

For More Information

See NASA.gov

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Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

This page was originally published on Thursday, January 23, 2014.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:51 PM EDT.