NOAA updates their global surface temperature database

NOAA recently updated their global surface temperature anomaly database to better reflect the rapid changes occurring in the polar regions. The previous database, which goes as far back as 1880, did not include data in the polar regions. The Arctic region has been warming at a rate three times as much as the rest of the world.

This new database, which has improved scientific methods for infilling areas with little or no data, now also includes data from the entire Arctic region.

In comparing the old dataset with the new global dataset we see slightly higher global temperature anomalies in the new dataset, especially over the past 20 years, where we have seen rapid changes in the Arctic.

In addition, the new dataset now goes as far back as 1850, which adds another 30 years of temperature data.

With the new dataset, the top three warmest years on record remain in the same order; however, 2017 is now the fourth warmest year on record, flipping spots with 2015.

Also note the top 10 warmest years on record globally have all occurred since 2010, and the last nine years (2014-2022) have been the warmest on record going back to 1850.