Why do they call it global warming? Is it getting warmer or not?

Question

I see people yacking and blabing all the time about CO2 emmisions and trendy indicator graphs that don't tell me anything.

The hippies call it Global warming, but I've never seen someone (on either side) name a figure connected to the global average temperature. I mean...if everyone is convinced that the planet is heating up...how much? what was the average temperature planet-wide 10 years ago and what is it now? is it higher or not? and how much?

I don't think we see these figures because we can't get a reliable planet-wide reading. we get limited surface readings at random locations, and even more limited upper atmospheric readings. No one knows what the global average temperature is! So why does everyone insist it's going up?

If your all getting upset because we're hurting the ecosystem or making the planet smell funny or look grungy...say THAT. Call it Global Littering, or Global Pollution. Don't call down the end of the world and blame it on statistic we can't measue!

kkristenkitty, no that would be POLAR warming, not GLOBAL warming.

Dillon K if that's true then why couldn't you tell me what the temperature was back then and what it is now.

yadowshadow, again that's localized warming. and "feels warmer" is not valid evidence even of localized warming.

dana1981, Props for at least answering the question I asked. Today, yes we have satellites and many weather stations world/sky/ocean-wide, So someday soon I imagine we may actually be able to say. But your sources, the ncdc.noaa chart, reference back over 100 years, even 20 years ago we didn't have nearly enough coverage to get accurate readings. And wikipedia is about as reliable a source as "reading the bones". So while I disagree with your conclusions, props for actually giving an intelligent answer.

Answer 1

Based on the most comprehensive analysis, the average global temperature on 1st November 2007 was 14.598°C and on 1st November 1997 it was 14.378°C, an increase in 10 years of 0.22°C.

These figures are not yet available online but are based on over 100 million temperature readings taken across the planet (land, sea and air).

We do know what the average global temperature is and there are online datasets available (search for HADCrut3 and GISTemp) although they're not in particulary user friendly format. We're addressing that at the moment and in the next few weeks the global temperature record will be available in easy to understand tabulated and graphical format.

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I note that Mr Jello has provided you with a selective chart restricted to just the 48 contiguous US states. Considering the subject is global warming it may be more appropriate to look at the global temperature record instead. Using the same source as Mr Jello you'll find the global temp record is here http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs/GLB_USHCN.2005vs1999.txt and that a more comprehensive and up to date version is here http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/tabledata/GLB.Ts.txt this shows 2005 as being the hottest year on record globally and 2007 as the second hottest, so far this year comes in at 168 millionths of a degree cooler than 2005 (1998 is 3rd and 1934 is 46th).

Personally I'm not too keen on the GISTemp record as it tends to show temperatures as being slightly higher than other datasets. Looking at a more accurate record we find that 1998 is the hottest year followed by 2005 then 2007 with 1934 being in 55th place.

Answer 2

There are thousands of surface temperature measurement stations around the world, as well as satellites which measure the temperature of the atmosphere. Plots are provided in the links below.

This information is very well-known with a small margin of error. Over the past 30 years the planet has warmed 0.5°C. This is a rate of warming 20 times faster than when the Earth naturally comes out of an ice age (which we're not doing right now).

In short yes, it is warming, and very rapidly.

Jello below is trying to deceive you by providing temperatures for the lower 48 United States rather than for the planet as a whole, as I have provided in the links below. I wish there was an option for worst answer, because that's blaitantly deceptive.

Answer 3

No matter how they try to message the information the global average temperature had leveled off for ten years and now is starting to decline. How long the decline will last is yet to be determined. So yes I feel they changed the name from global warming to climate change in order to encompass all possibilities, even a cooling climate. (For those who comment about the arctic ice melt I suggest doing some research the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and their currents. Warm water accounts for the Arctic Ocean melting then the air temperature. It also takes a while for it to reverse and it's starting to do that now.)

Answer 4

In the past 100 years, the temperature has raised a total of 1 degree Fahrenheit.

Answer 5

It is KIND of getting warmer. the polar ice caps are melting quicker than before but many people think this is because it is a natural trend the world is going through..
personally i don't like the term "global warming" as last summer was too wet.. i use "climate change" as everyone agrees it has changed.. but by how much is the difference..

Answer 6

Dude, Our pollution is trapped in our atmosphere wich in turn causes the earth"s temperature to rise ! As we sit here the ice on both poles is slowly melting. Alaska is in fact shrinking ! People and animals have been forced to move inland ! This also causes the bodies of water to rise ! However this will not end the world, when Russia and China try to destroy Isreal,"armegeddon" Then Jesus will come back and put a stop to it.

Answer 7

Here's a chart from NASA's GISS that shows 1998 and 1934 to be the hottest years on record.

Even with exponentially more co2 being pumped into the atmosphere, it is clear that temperatures have not exceeded temperatures of these years.

Answer 8

i believe there is not enough true information to really confirm global warming.
here is a question about global warming that is quite interesting also.

Answer 9

well apparantly its getting warmer but santa is also real and the earth flat so what do we know

Answer 10

um, the ice caps are melting. yah, i think it's getting a little bit warmer.