Studies show ‘unequivocally’ that world is getting warmer

A SERIES of studies shows the world is “unequivocally” warming, scientists said yesterday as they confirmed the past decade was the hottest on record.

Researchers at the British Met Office compiled data series’ from several independent studies for each of a number of key “indicators” of the climate, including sea levels, air temperature, humidity and glacier loss.

The data, published as part of the annual State of the Climate review led by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, shows that global warming is “undeniable”.

Met Office scientists said this year was on track to be the warmest or second warmest ever recorded.

The collated data paints a broader picture of the indicators of global warming in the wake of the “climategate” furore, stemming from emails stolen from the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit.

Much of the debate in the wake of the publication of the emails, which prompted claims that scientists were manipulating data to back up a theory of global warming, focused on just one set of temperature records.

The Met Office looked at surface temperature records and other aspects of climate that scientists predict will change due to increased levels of greenhouse gases, such as warming of the ocean and increased humidity.

For each of the 10 indicators, they compiled several independent studies.

All the areas saw changes consistent with what models predict will happen as a result of greenhouse gas emissions, Dr Peter Stott, contributor to the report and head of climate monitoring and attribution at the Met Office Hadley Centre, said.

Seven areas, including air and sea surface temperatures, the amount of heat in the ocean and humidity, were on the rise, while three — the extent of Arctic sea ice, glaciers and winter snow cover in the northern hemisphere — were falling.

Dr Stott said: “Despite the variability caused by short-term changes, the analysis conducted for this report illustrates why we are so confident the world is warming…When we look at air temperature and other indicators, we see highs and lows from year to year because of natural variability.

“Understanding climate change requires looking at the longer-term record. When we follow decade-to-decade trends using different data sets and independent analyses, we see clear and unmistakable signs of a warming world.”

He said studies showed the changes were consistent with an increase in greenhouse gases, which provided the “glaringly obvious explanation” for why the climate was changing.