From NASA: Global Warming Mapped

[rasputin1952]

The world is getting warmer. Whether the cause is human activity or natural variability, thermometer readings all around the world have risen steadily since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

According to an ongoing temperature analysis conducted by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), the average global temperature on Earth has increased by about 0.8°Celsius (1.4°Fahrenheit) since 1880. Two-thirds of the warming has occurred since 1975, at a rate of roughly 0.15-0.20°C per decade.

The maps above show temperature anomalies, or changes, for 2000-2009 (top) and 1970-1979. The maps do not depict absolute temperature, but how much warmer or colder a region is compared to the norm for that same region from 1951-1980. That period was chosen largely because the U.S. National Weather Service uses a three-decade period to define “normal” or average temperature. The GISS temperature analysis effort began around 1980, so the most recent 30 years were 1951-1980. It is also a period when many of today’s adults grew up, so it is a common reference that many people can remember.

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more at: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=47628

This over a 30 year period and is a composite of those 30 years. Anyone who denies climate change should read this, and be prepared to change their thinking. If we delay much longer, there will be irreversible damage done to the climate which will affect every species that lives on this rock.

[spin]

1. We could use a little global warming here in Florida ...

Chilly February Caps Coldest Winter in Three Decades over South Florida
A colder-than-normal February wrapped up the coldest winter since the early 1980s over south Florida. Almost all main weather reporting sites recorded the coldest December-February average temperature since 1981, except for Miami International Airport which recorded its coldest average winter temperature since 1986. December to February temperatures ended up about 2 to 3 degrees below normal, which is remarkable considering that December was 2 to 3 degrees above normal. These values resulted in the following all-time recorded rankings: Miami Beach recorded its 2nd coldest winter on record; Naples recorded its 6th coldest winter on record; Moore Haven its 8th coldest and West Palm Beach its 10th coldest winter on record.

The extended periods of cold temperatures in January and February resulted in average temperatures during that two-month period of 4 to 5 degrees below normal. This resulted in all four main climate stations recording among the top 10 coldest January-February temperatures on record. Miami Beach set a record for its all-time coldest January-February on record (previous record set in 1958). In West Palm Beach, it was the 2nd coldest January-February on record; Naples recorded its 3rd coldest January-February, Moore Haven its 3rd coldest, Fort Lauderdale its 8th coldest and Miami its 10th coldest January-February average temperature on record. Only in the winters of 1940, 1958, 1977 and 1981 did January-February average temperatures come close to what was observed in 2010. The coldest period observed this winter was between January 2nd and January 13th when south Florida experienced one of its coldest 12-day periods on record (read more about this exceptional cold episode here).

Why was it so cool this winter compared to normal? The main contributing factor was a rather persistent low pressure area in the middle and upper levels of the atmosphere centered over eastern Canada and the northeast United States. A trough associated with this low extended down across much of the southeastern U.S., including Florida. This pattern was most noticeable in January and February (Figure 1). The result of this upper level pattern was a number of strong cold fronts moving south from the upper Midwest all the way through Florida. Air masses of Canadian and Arctic origin followed these fronts, plunging temperatures to much below normal levels for rather extended periods of time.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/mfl/news/Feb2010WinterSummary.pdf

That was last year and so far it's been damn cold so far this year too.

You would think that NASA would wise up and call Global Climate Warming, Global Climate Change. It's more accurate and causes fewer jokes at this time of year.

[rasputin1952]

3. I think Global Climate Change is more descriptive...

however, in this study. it was looking at a warming pattern over 30 years.

There are other things involved as well, such as changes in the belt that transfers heat throughout the world. Weather patterns are already being affected and deserts are expanding at a faster rate.

[stevedeshazer]

2. +1