Climate change

3:42:39

2022-07-19

238

The global surface temperature for 2021 was the sixth highest since record keeping began in 1880, according to NOAA scientists. In a separate analysis of global temperature data, also released today, NASA has 2021 tying with 2018 as the sixth-warmest year on record. December’s global surface temperature tied with 2016 as the fifth highest in the 142-year record.

This summary from NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides to government, business, academia and the public to support informed decision-making.

Global land and ocean surface temperature: For 2021, the average temperature across global surfaces was 1.51°F (0.84°C) above the 20th-century average. This was the sixth highest among all years in the 1880-2021 record. The year 2021 marks the 45th consecutive year (since 1977) with global temperatures, at least nominally, above the 20th-century average. The nine years spanning 2013 through 2021 rank among the 10-warmest years on record.

For the 21-year span that is considered a reasonable surrogate for pre-industrial conditions (1880–1900), the 2021 global land and ocean temperature was 1.87°F (1.04°C) above the average. The annual global surface temperature has increased at an average rate of +0.14°F (+0.08°C) per decade since 1880; however, since 1981 the average rate of increase is more than twice that rate (+0.32°F / +0.18°C).

The 2021 Northern Hemisphere surface temperature was the sixth highest in the 142-year record at 1.96°F (1.09°C) above the 20th century average. Of note, the Northern Hemisphere land surface temperature was the third highest on record. Only the years of 2016 (second) and 2020 (warmest) were warmer. Meanwhile, the 2021 Southern Hemisphere surface temperature was the ninth highest on record.

Record-high temperatures over land surfaces were measured across parts of northern Africa, southern Asia, and southern South America in 2021. Record-high sea surface temperatures were observed across parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. However, no land or ocean areas were record cold for the year.

Regionally, the annual average temperature departure for Africa tied with 2019 as the third highest on record, behind 2010 (second-warmest) and 2016 (warmest). North America, South America, Europe, and Asia each had an annual temperature that ranked among the nine warmest on record. While Oceania had an above-average annual temperature, 2021 was its coolest year since 2012.

Arctic sea ice extent: Each month in 2021, with the exceptions of September and December, had a monthly Arctic sea ice extent that ranked among the 10-smallest extents for each respective month. However, no month had a record low sea ice extent during the year. When averaging monthly data from the National snow and ice data center, the average annual sea ice extent in the Arctic was approximately 4.08 million square miles – the ninth smallest annual average sea ice extent in the 1979-2021 record. The last seven years (2015-2021) had an annual sea ice extent that ranked among the 10 smallest on record.