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Scorching '07 Sets New Global Record

Hottest ever for global lands

By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 16, 2008 5:02 AM CST
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(Newser) – Last year was the hottest on record for global land masses, with temperatures almost 2 degrees warmer than usual, according to  the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Scorching heat waves socked Asia, Europe and the USA, where 2,000 daily temperature peaks were busted. It's an undeniable trend with seven of the world's warmest-ever years on record occurring since 2001, scientists say.

"There's no denying that climate change is occurring, and warmer winters and warmer years are more common for that reason," said a climatologist with the National Climatic Data Center, who added that unusual warmth in the Arctic resulted in the lowest amount of sea ice ever recorded. For the whole Earth, including oceans, it was the fifth-warmest on record.

A Tokyo man wipes the sweat from his forehead. Japan sizzled through its hottest day on record on August 16th 2007 as a heat wave claimed at least six lives across the country (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara
A Tokyo man wipes the sweat from his forehead. Japan sizzled through its hottest day on record on August 16th 2007 as a heat wave claimed at least six lives across the country (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara   (Associated Press)
Jack Reece tries to stay cool in front of a large fan while resting at a friend's produce stand at the Farmer's Market in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Jack Reece tries to stay cool in front of a large fan while resting at a friend's produce stand at the Farmer's Market in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)   (Associated Press)
A group of young men nap on Jones Beach Monday, July 9, 2007. New York metro area residents did what they could to keep cool as temperatures rose into the mid-nineties with the heat index above 100 degrees as a heat wave gripped much of the nation. It was one...
A group of young men nap on Jones Beach Monday, July 9, 2007. New York metro area residents did what they could to keep cool as temperatures rose into the mid-nineties with the heat index above 100 degrees...   (Associated Press)
An honor guard officer, left, wipes sweat off the face of an honor guard soldier standing at the Eternal Flame in scorching sun at the Kremlin wall in Moscow, in this May 30, 2007 file photo. A heat wave hit the city breaking temperature records going higher than 30 C...
An honor guard officer, left, wipes sweat off the face of an honor guard soldier standing at the Eternal Flame in scorching sun at the Kremlin wall in Moscow, in this May 30, 2007 file photo. A heat wave...   (Associated Press)
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Heatwave

One of the warmest years on record
NOAA

World • Green

 
climate change • heat wave • wildfires • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • global temperatures • National Climatic Data Center • global weather

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