NASA announced on Wednesday that in 2016, Earth experienced the hottest surface temperatures in modern history. Separate, independent analysis at NOAA provided the same conclusion. This makes the third year in a row that Earth experienced record high temperatures.
These record years are part of a concerning long-term trend of increasing global temperatures. In fact, 16 of the 17 warmest years on record have occurred since 2001.
“2016 is remarkably the third record year in a row in this series. We don’t expect record years every year, but the ongoing long-term warming trend is clear.” Gavin Schmidt, Goddard Institute for Space Studies Director
The animation above shows higher than average temperatures in red and lower than average temperatures in blue. The map does not show temperatures itself. This is why the poles are much redder than, say, the equator. Multiple research studies have shown that the poles are warming twice as fast as other parts of the planet due to a number of factors including the amplified effect that melting ice caps have on the ability to reflect (rather than absorb) sunlight.
