2019 was officially the 2nd warmest year on record globally

NOAA and NASA just released their global surface temperature report for 2019.

NASA global temperature anomaly analysis for 2019

According to the report, 2019 was the second warmest year on record globally for land/ocean combined. The warmest year on record is still 2016. However, the past five years have been the five warmest years on record globally. The record database goes back 140 years to 1880.

NOAA global temperature anomaly analysis for 2019. Differences with values compared to NASA are mostly due to the use of a later base period.

“The decade that just ended is clearly the warmest decade on record,” said GISS Director Gavin Schmidt. “Every decade since the 1960s clearly has been warmer than the one before.”

Images courtesy NOAA/NASA

The Earth has warmed more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit above that of the late 19th century. Climate scientists conclude that this increase in temperature mostly has been caused by increasing carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases that are produced by human activities.

The Arctic region has warmed more than any other part of the world. Since 1970, the Arctic has warmed a little more than three times faster than the rest of the planet.

The upper ocean heat content, which is a key climate indicator, was the highest on record in 2019.

Here is a short video produced by NASA that recaps 2019. Courtesy of YouTube.