2016 The Warmest Year on Record

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2016 has ended as the warmest year on record surpassing 2015 numbers by a fair margin.  On the back of the Super Nino which prevailed over the entire 2015 and whose effects lingered possibly longer than expected 2016 scorched quite a few records on its way to becoming the warmest Year on Record.  2015 & 2016 now holds the records for 11 of the warmest months with 2016 having 8 of the warmest months and 2015 recording 3 of the warmest months ever.  1998 is the lone exception which holds the warmest June recorded ever.  Incidentally October – December which has 2015 as the warmest years have 2016 as the second warmest on record.

As this NASA GISS land temperature anomaly data indicates irrespective of the impact of Ocean warming and possible influences by El Nino / La Nina the last few decades are seeing a progressive warming with the 2012 – 16 period the only time when Land Area Temperature Anomaly has increased continuously over a 5 year period for the first time.

WMO which consolidates anomaly data from multiple sources like UK MET, ECMWF & NASA GISS also confirms the warming trend over 21st century with only 1998 on the back of a very strong El Nino hotter than any 21st century year.  Once again if one looks at the chart the progressive warming trend clearly visible with even La Nina years showing increased temperature trend indicating a much larger scale warming rather than the one modulated by the warming of the oceans alone.

Thanks to this wonderful presentation by NASA GISS of how the temperature anomaly pattern has been changing over the last century or so one can clearly visualize the impact of abnormal warming in the Northern Hemisphere areas driving the overall global warming trend since the turn of the century.

Could this be an indication of the industrialization impact in the Northern Hemisphere against Down Under and Northern Hemisphere becoming a victim of Climate Change only time will answer.

 

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