UN Climate Change Conference

Temperature highs recorded for 2010, warming trends continue

By Wu Chong
Updated: 2010-12-03 03:06

CANCUN, Mexico – The year 2010 has almost certainly been among the top three warmest years since the beginning of instrumental climate records in 1850, according to data sources compiled by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The global combined sea surface and land surface air temperature for 2010 (January–October) is currently estimated at 0.55C ± 0.11C above the 1961–1990 annual average of 14.00C. Also, the decade of 2001—2010 has set a new record as the warmest decade since 1850.

At present, 2010’s average temperature is the highest on record, just ahead of 1998 and 2005. “But we still have one month to go," said Michel Jarraud, secretary general of the WMO, at a press conference during the Cancun climate conference on Thursday. He pointed to strong La Nina, a pattern of mild cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean, which has impacted weather patterns. “That’s why we are still not sure whether this year will be the warmest.”

The organization said such warming trends are widespread, but have been especially strong in Africa, parts of Asia, and parts of the Arctic. And the most extreme warm anomalies have occurred in two major regions -- the first extending across most of Canada and Greenland, and the second covering most of the northern half of Africa and south Asia, extending as far east as the western half of China.

“In places like Asia, there would be a greater occurrence of droughts, which may be stronger and more intense. In other places, or sometimes in the same places, there may be a greater occurrence of floods,” Jarraud told China Daily. “In other words, the extremes are likely to become more frequent and more intense.”

Cold waves may become less frequent and intense on average for Asia, he added.