2007 data confirms rapid earth warming trend
Pastor Dale Morgan
*2007 data confirms rapid earth warming trend*
This year has been one of the warmest since 1850, despite the cooling
influence of La Nina conditions, according to scientists.
The UK's Hadley Centre and University of East Anglia conclude that
globally, this year ranks as the seventh warmest.
The 11 warmest years in this set have all occurred within the last 13
years. For the northern hemisphere alone, 2007 was the second warmest
recorded.
The findings come as the UN climate summit discusses carbon emission cuts.
The Hadley Centre's head of climate prediction, Vicky Pope, who is at
the Bali talks, said the data "confirmed the need for swift action to
combat further rises in global temperatures because of human behaviour."
The La Nina event has taken some of the heat out of what could have been
an even warmer year
Phil Jones, UEA
The data was presented to Bali delegates by Michel Jarraud,
secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which
has partially overseen the landmark assessment published during the year
by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
"What we are seeing is a confirmation of the warming trend seen by the
IPCC reports," he said.
Pacific heights
At the beginning of the year, the same group of scientists said 2007 was
set to be the warmest on record.
"The year began with a weak El Nino... and global temperatures well
above the long-term average," said Phil Jones, director of the Climatic
Research Unit at the University of East Anglia (UEA).
THE 10 WARMEST YEARS
1998 - 0.52C (above the 1961-1990 average)
2005 - 0.48C
2003 - 0.46C
2002 - 0.46C
2004 - 0.43C
2006 - 0.42C
2007 (provisional) - 0.41C
2001 - 0.40C
1997 - 0.36C
1995 - 0.28C
El Nino/La Nina explained
"However, since the end of April, the La Nina event has taken some of
the heat out of what could have been an even warmer year."
El Nino and La Nina represent opposite ends of a periodic and natural
variation in climatic conditions across the Pacific.
El Nino events see above-average ocean temperatures in the central and
eastern Pacific, while lower temperatures in the same regions are
manifested during La Nina.
The 1998 El Nino event, one of the most powerful on record, was largely
responsible for that year being the warmest documented since 1850, and
warmer than any since.
The warmth of the years since 2000 is thought to be driving the thinning
of Arctic sea-ice. Scientists forecast this week that the ice could melt
entirely during summers by 2013.