Global Temperature Trend Update: January 2011
?Every month University of Alabama in Huntsville climatologists John Christy and Roy Spencer report the latest global temperature trends from satellite data. Below are the newest data updated through January, 2011:
La Nina Pacific Ocean cooling pulls global temps below norms
Global climate trend since Nov. 16, 1978: +0.14 C per decade
January temperatures (preliminary)
Global composite temp.: -0.01 C (about 0.02 degrees Fahrenheit) below 30-year average for January.
Northern Hemisphere: -0.06 C (about 0.11 degrees Fahrenheit) below 30-year average for January.
Southern Hemisphere: +0.04 C (about 0.07 degrees Fahrenheit) above 30-year average for January.
Tropics: -0.37 C (about 0.67 degrees Fahrenheit) below 30-year average for January.
December temperatures (revised):
Global Composite: +0.18 C above 30-year average
Northern Hemisphere: +0.22 C above 30-year average
Southern Hemisphere: +0.15 C above 30-year average
Tropics: -0.22 C below 30-year average
(All temperature anomalies are based on a 30-year average (1981-2010) for the month reported.)
Notes on data released Feb. 3, 2011:
The La Nina Pacific Ocean cooling event continues to pull down temperatures, with the global average temperature falling below seasonal norms for the first time in 18 months and only the second time in almost two and a half years, according to Dr. John Christy, professor of atmospheric science and director of the Earth System Science Center at The University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Go here to see the monthly temperature data.