NOAA: Global Data Confirms 2014 Was Hottest Year On Record

This year was scarcely underway when we heard word that 2014 was the hottest year on record – something that was indicated by data showing an acceleration in temperatures and human contribution to this warming. As expected, the data was called into question by some, but now the global figures are in and the conclusion remains: last year was the hottest year on record. The latest report factors in data from scientists across 58 countries.

The State of the Climate in 2014 report has been released by the American Meteorological Society, and it was compiled based on data provided by a total of 413 scientists across 58 countries. The data spans land, water, and space, and was collected from both monitoring instruments and monitoring stations; there's also data on "notable weather events".

The report is 240 pages long, and includes things like data on regional climates from areas around the globe, information gathered from the tropics, arctic, and antarctica, as well as global oceans data and global climate.

There's a lot of information to take in, but some notable sections have been highlighted. For one thing, greenhouse gases climbed further during 2014, hitting a historic high.

A total of four independent global datasets show that last year was, indeed, the hottest year on record. In excess of 20 countries broke their previous temperature records, with Europe and Mexico having had their warmest recorded years so far; Africa had hotter than average temps, as did Australia. The Eastern part of North America was the only exception with below average annual temperatures.

SOURCE: NOAA