This maps out the apparenteffects of La Nina this year as the main driver for the sharp changes in theJet Stream. An additional driver in theform of volcanism also affected the Arctic andpart of the northern Hemisphere.
The impact on the measurementregime was to show a slight cooling. What I am saying is that we know for sure is that the heat gotdistributed differently than normal.
That is the problem with socalled global statements. The input hasnot changed at all, so the question is were has it gone.
This year La Nina shifted itaround rather severely and put an Arctic air mass deep into the continent toeveryone’s shock.
It has been a cold winter we arenow seeing the back of as temperature finally rise this week.
La Nina Pacific Ocean Cooling Pulls Global Temps Below Norms
Released: 2/5/2011 6:00 AM EST
Source: Universityof Alabama Huntsville
Global Temperature Report: January 2011
Global climate trend since Nov. 16, 1978: +0.14 C per decade
January temperatures (preliminary)
Global composite temp.: -0.01 C (about 0.02 degrees Fahrenheit) below30-year average for January.
Northern Hemisphere: -0.06 C (about 0.11 degrees Fahrenheit) below30-year average for January.
Southern Hemisphere: +0.04 C (about 0.07 degrees Fahrenheit) above30-year average for January.
Tropics: -0.37 C (about 0.67 degrees Fahrenheit) below 30-year averagefor January.
December temperatures (revised):
Global Composite: +0.18 C above 30-year average
Northern Hemisphere: +0.22 C above 30-year average
Southern Hemisphere: +0.15 C above 30-year average
Tropics: -0.22 C below 30-year average
(All temperature anomalies are based on a 30-year average (1981-2010)for the month reported.)
Notes on data released Feb. 3, 2011:
The La Nina Pacific Ocean cooling event continues to pull downtemperatures, with the global average temperature falling below seasonal normsfor the first time in 18 months and only the second time in almost two and ahalf years, according to Dr. John Christy, professor of atmospheric science anddirector of the Earth System Science Center at The University of Alabama inHuntsville.
Technical Note:
The baseline period used to determine seasonal norms has been changed from the20-year (1979 to 1998) period at the beginning of the satellite record to a new30-year (1981 to 2010) reference average. This was done to match theclimatological period normally used with climate data by the U.N.'s WorldMeteorological Organization.
As part of an ongoing joint project between UAHuntsville, NOAA andNASA, Christy and Dr. Roy Spencer, a principal research scientist in the ESSC,use data gathered by advanced microwave sounding units on NOAA and NASAsatellites to get accurate temperature readings for almost all regions of theEarth. This includes remote desert, ocean and rain forest areas where reliableclimate data are not otherwise available.
The satellite-based instruments measure the temperature of theatmosphere from the surface up to an altitude of about eight kilometers abovesea level. Once the monthly temperature data is collected and processed, it isplaced in a "public" computer file for immediate access byatmospheric scientists in the U.S.
Neither Christy nor Spencer receives any research support or fundingfrom oil, coal or industrial companies or organizations, or from any private orspecial interest groups. All of their climate research funding comes fromfederal and state grants or contracts.
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