....2006 Hottest on Record for US

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2007

(CBS/AP) Last year was the warmest on record for the United States
with readings pushed over higher than normal by the unusual and
unseasonably warmweather during the last half of December.

Preliminary data from the National Climatic Data Center listed the
average temperature for the 48 contiguous states last year as 55 degrees
Fahrenheit.That's 2.2 degrees warmer than average and 0.07 degree
warmer than 1998, the previous warmest year on record.

Worldwide, the agency said, it was the sixth-warmest year on record.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/...n2342950.shtml


Nasa 2005 Warmest Year in Over a Century

The year 2005 was the warmest year in over a century, according
to NASA scientists studying temperature data from around the world.

Climatologists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS)
in NewYork City noted that the highest global annual average
surface temperature in more than a century was recorded in their
analysis for the 2005 calendar year.
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/env...5_warmest.html


Nasa Earth Observatory

The above chart shows the current scientific understanding of radiative
forcing (how different phenomena affect the Earth's energy balance).
Postive numbers represent forcing that will warm the Earth, negative
numbers are cooling effects.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Lib.../warming5.html


brief introduction to the history of climate
http://muller.lbl.gov/pages/IceAgeBo...f_climate.html



s

On Tue, 9 Jan 2007 20:17:16 -0500, in a place far, far away,
"Jonathan" made the phosphor on my monitor glow
in such a way as to indicate that:

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2007

(CBS/AP) Last year was the warmest on record for the United States
with readings pushed over higher than normal by the unusual and
unseasonably warmweather during the last half of December.

We haven't been keeping records very long. I always find the
short-term outlook of humans amusing.

"Rand Simberg" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 9 Jan 2007 20:17:16 -0500, in a place far, far away,
"Jonathan" made the phosphor on my monitor glow
in such a way as to indicate that:

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2007

(CBS/AP) Last year was the warmest on record for the United States
with readings pushed over higher than normal by the unusual and
unseasonably warmweather during the last half of December.

We haven't been keeping records very long. I always find the
short-term outlook of humans amusing.


Well, that's right, we only have good data for many of the
key variables for about 5 or six years now. See...
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Obs.../datasets.html


Which is why I'm using that site for reference, they have
all the latest data. And their view is a result of a comprehensive
data set, not from one or two 'facts' that can be used
to support any bias one wishes.

And their view is....

While the general consensus among scientists is that
global warming is real and its overall effects are detrimental,
there are still some prominent scientists who feel that the
threat of global warming has been greatly exaggerated."
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Lib.../warming5.html


"there are still some..."

There is a scientific consensus that's growing with the
data. Either one takes a good unbiased look at the
actual data, or we see whatever we like. The chart
at the above link is very informative, and unbiased
imho.


s