NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have released a report regarding the planet's changing climate. Based on their findings, 2021 had a surface temperature that hit the same marks as 2018. Both years are identified to have the warmest data in terms of the global average, running at sixth place above the rest.
2021 and 2018 Sixth Warmest Years of All Time
US Vice President Kamala Harris looks at the hyper wall during a climate change discussion at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center on November 5, 2021, in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The global temperatures that climate experts analyzed in 2021 spiked with a 0.85 degrees Celsius increase. The record exceeded the expected average baseline set by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). The baseline referenced by the agency was the climate information that was gathered from 1951 to 1980.
According to the experts, the eight recent years acquired the highest temperature records since the modern climate measurements began in 1880. The annual records are necessary to tell that our planet is experiencing several changes on its surface and atmospheric temperatures. The records also help discover factors of the inevitable global warming each year.
NASA reported that in 2021, Earth had 1.1 degrees Celsius of increase in its overall temperature compared to the birth of industrialization during the 19th-century. Based on a release by ScienceDaily, NASA expert, and administrator Bill Nelson said that climate change is undoubtedly the existential threat of the modern era.
Nelson explained that eight out of ten warmest years have occurred in the recent decade. This reason is enough to support the fact we should to a bold move to halt the warming and secure a better future for the country and the global population. Nelson added that with the help of the records collected by NASA, many communities would be aware of how our planet is changing and gaining an increase in temperature.
Annual Climate Dataset Necessary for Keeping Records of Changes and Warming of Earth
The number one culprit that initiates climate change is human-induced activities. Although there are already various approaches that the government and institutes are implementing against the conundrum, the industry does not confront carbon emissions and other greenhouse gas issues. This leaves the atmosphere to inherit toxic compositions that could accelerate unwanted warmings, which ultimately will disrupt ice sheets and increase sea levels.
Alongside the aquatic field, animal migration and wildfires are surging due to the abnormal shifts of the climate. Even though the collective changes are obvious, people still need to push awareness and constructive knowledge.
Recording the climate data is not just conducted solely by meteorology experts. It is also done with the devices equipped to large ships, weather stations, and even ocean buoys across many water bodies globally. Most of this information is validated through satellite data relayed by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). The rates will then be compared to the 1951-1980 baseline period, allowing scientists to get ahold of the climate patterns each year.
A separate analysis is also being processed by NOAA to get the estimates right in place. On the other hand, the agency utilizes a distinct baseline period from NASA, which includes the more recent years of 1901 to 2000. The complete release of the dataset for 2021 and the methods implemented by the agencies was published by GISS for free access. The studies were led by Goddard Space Flight Center's Earth Sciences Division.
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