I know we’re supposed to be going into a period of cooling, at least according to people who don’t believe in the scientific method, but for those who do, NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center reports in its “Climate of 2008 July in Historical Perspective“:
Based on preliminary data, the globally averaged combined land and sea surface temperature was the fifth warmest on record for July and the ninth warmest for the January-July year-to-date period.
It is worth noting that El Ni±o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions remained in a neutral phase during July. And we’re still at a solar minimum.
And no, I don’t think the monthly data tell us much about the climate — but I know reporting it annoys the deniers, and I am trying to enjoy my vacation. As for what the peer-reviewed scientific literature forecasts for the next decade, temperaturewise:
- The “coming decade” (2010 to 2020) is poised to be the warmest on record, globally.
- The coming decade is poised to see faster temperature rise than any decade since the authors’ calculations began in 1960.
- The fast warming would likely begin early in the next decade — similar to the 2007 prediction by the Hadley Center in Science (see “Climate Forecast: Hot — and then Very Hot“).
That is why they call it global warming.
Related Posts:
- Yes, the globe is warming. But how fast?
- This just in: Great Ice Age of 2008 is STILL over
- “Hadley Center to deniers: We are STILL warming”
- Hansen throws cold water on cooling climate claim
- Nature article on ‘cooling’ confuses media, deniers: Next decade may see rapid warming
- Where is the media on the incredible warming and extreme weather of February?
- Media enable denier spin 1: A (sort of) cold January doesn’t mean climate stopped warming
- No warming since 1998? Get real, deniers!
- NASA: 2007 Second Warmest Year Ever, with Record Warmth Likely by 2010
- Must read from Hansen: Stop the madness about the tiny revision in NASA’s temperature data!
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Language Intelligence: Lessons on persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga
We should test the denialist logic with this news: see, temps not rising as fast in, say, February prrrrove! that warming has stopped. Using this same logic, warm July temps prrrrove! that warming continues.
Oh wait: the stations are flawed. We can’t believe their measurements when its warmer, only when its cooler. Or something. Whatever it takes to say something to maintain the self-identity.
Best,
D
And no, I don’t think the monthly data tell us much about the climate — but I know reporting it annoys the deniers, and I am trying to enjoy my vacation
This made me laugh out loud.
“And no, I don’t think the monthly data tell us much about the climate — but I know reporting it annoys the deniers, and I am trying to enjoy my vacation.”
Schadenfreude :-) I’m beginning to wonder about you….
Satellite temperature data has the advantage of covering a much larger area of land and ocean and does not have to worry about urban heat islands.
If you look at the three decades of satellite data, such as the NSS data of the lower troposphere found here:
http://vortex.nsstc.uah.edu/public/msu/t2lt/tltglhmam_5.2 …
you can see that July 2008 (at 0.048) is actually the 15th warmest July in the last 30 years.
RW:
The sat data does not cover the land and ocean.
The majority of the TLT measurment covers the atmosphere at 4-7 km above the surface of the planet. Not the surface. In the atmosphere. Not surface.
Best,
D