Tiempo Climate Portal
Global surface air temperature
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Featured sites
The Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (LADA) project provides access to documents, data, photos, maps and other resources concerning this critical issue.
The World Ocean Observatory provides a place of exchange for ocean information, education and public discourse about the future of the ocean and its implication for human survival.
AdaptNet is a community of adaptation specialists, sharing the latest information on adaptation strategies, measures, tools, research and analysis, and highlighting best practice and implementation. The network focuses on cities in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, but nested within the global network of cities.
In the Morning of a Day provides activists and event organizers with an opportunity to announce and promote their events and actions about global warming.
And finally,
Children from Uganda, Bangladesh and Mozambique have drawn pictures for Oxfam of their impression of climate change (video) and what it means to their lives.
About the Portal
The Tiempo Climate Portal provides access to carefully selected documents, websites and other resources concerned with climate and sustainable development. It is edited by Mick Kelly and Sarah Granich and maintained by Mick Kelly and Mike Salmon.
Part of the Tiempo Climate Cyberlibrary, Tiempo Climate Newswatch is hosted by the Climatic Research Unit, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia.
The Tiempo Climate Cyberlibrary is a co-production of the Stockholm Environment Institute and the International Institute for Environment and Development, sponsored by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
While every effort is made to ensure that information on this site, and on other sites that are referenced here, is accurate, no liability for loss or damage resulting from use of this information can be accepted.
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Annual global surface air temperatures as departures from the 1961-90 mean |
The global surface air temperature record is the main indicator of the state of the global climate system. It is commonly used in efforts to detect the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on climate.
The global, Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere temperature records can be downloaded from the Climatic Research Unit web site. The data are presented as monthly and annual departures in degrees Celsius from the relevant monthly mean for the period 1961-90.
Discussion
The global surface air temperature record shows that an overall warming of about 0.5°Celsius has occurred since the middle of the 19th century, in keeping with model predictions of the effect of the changing atmospheric composition over that time.
The warming has, however, been variable in strength with two periods of marked warming — during the 1920s and 1930s and in recent decades — punctuating periods when global temperature remained relatively stable.
The records for the Northern and Southern Hemisphere show similar trends.
Accounting for the variations in large-scale surface air temperature is a major focus of climate research.
The global temperature record is based on many millions of observations taken at standard meteorological stations on land and by so-called ships of opportunity in marine areas.
The reliability of the record has been subject to considerable attention. The spatial representativeness of the record is obviously more limited in the earlier years but even during the 19th century it is sufficient to define long-term trends (though perhaps not year-to-year variations).
Data availability
The gridded surface air temperature data set on which the large-scale averages are based can be downloaded. Other data sets are also available.
On the Web
Information sheets on the global temperature record and causes of temperature change are available.
Acknowledgements
The gridded global temperature data set used to produce large-scale temperature averages is maintained by the , University of East Anglia, and the Hadley Centre in the United Kingdom.
Bright Ideas
Honda is leasing the hydrogen-powered fuel cell FCX Clarity to private individuals in southern California
TIDE, in southern India, markets energy-efficient stoves that reduce fuelwood use by as much as 30 per cent
Curitiba's BioCity Program (0.3Mb download) aims to halt the rapid rate at which cities develop and reduce biodiversity loss
The CooKit is an inexpensive, lightweight solar cooker that can save scarce fuel in poor communities and be swiftly deployed in emergencies (video)
Kungsbrohuset, a new building to be built by Jernhusen in Stockholm, will be heated partly by body heat from the people who pass through the nearby Central Station
Petrotec produces biodiesel from multiple feedstocks, including waste frying oils, animal fats and virgin vegetable fats and oils
Over 90 per cent of waste materials generated during construction of the eco-friendly Del Sur Ranch House were diverted from landfills
New Belgium's brew kettle is up to 70 per cent more efficient than standard brew kettles because it only heats thin sheets of wort
The Kinsale Energy Descent Action Plan presents a community-based strategy for coming down from the oil peak
The Efficiencity virtual world shows how decentralized energy production leads to lower emissions, more secure supply and reduced bills
Climate Savers corporations are partnering with WWF to establish ambitious targets to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions voluntarily
Energy collected from an asphalt road and parking lot heats an apartment building in Avenhorn, The Netherlands (further information from Ooms Avenhorn Holding BV, 0.3Mb download)
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