Past Decade Warmest on Record: NOAA's Report By the Numbers

(July 28) -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today released its 2009 State of the Climate report. Its conclusion? Global warming is "unmistakable." And indeed, some strange, hot-weather environmental phenomena lately appear to buoy that conclusion.

Here are the basics of the latest, strongest case for global warming.

Who compiled the data used in NOAA's report?
Three hundred scientists from 160 research groups in 48 countries.

Is the world getting warmer?
The report found that the past decade (2000-2009) was the warmest in recorded history.

What did NOAA measure?
Seven rising indicators that, when taken together, confirmed a warming world: air temperature over land, sea-surface temperature, air temperature over oceans, sea level, ocean heat, humidity and tropospheric temperature. In contrast, three decreasing indicators also bolstered the case for global warming: Arctic sea ice, glaciers and spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere.

How much hotter has the world become over the past 50 years?
On average, Earth's temperature has risen by about 1 degree Celsius. While that seems like a relatively small figure, report co-editor Deke Arndt said in a press release that the uptick has resulted in a wave of consequences, from melting glaciers to extreme heat waves.

Which continent on Earth is warming fastest?
Antarctica is heating up at a rate five times faster than the global mean warming, resulting in the loss of a significant amount of ice.

How is global warming affecting the oceans?
According to the report, 90 percent of the warming over the past 50 years has "gone into the oceans," with the bulk of that found near the surface level. That is potentially worrisome in terms of rising sea levels, NOAA said, as water expands as it warms.

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