State of the Climate explained

Agency Name:	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Seal:	NOAA logo.svg

The State of the Climate is an annual report that is primarily led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Climatic Data Center (NOAA/NCDC), located in Asheville, North Carolina, but whose leadership and authorship spans roughly 100 institutions in about 50 countries.

Release

The report appears as a supplement to a summer issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS), a publication of the American Meteorological Society. The State of the Climate report, known until 2001 as the Climate Assessment, is an international effort.

State of the Climate in 2010

The 2010 edition (released June 28, 2011) contained submissions from 368 authors from 45 nations and covered 41 climate indicators.^[1] The 2010 edition contained a highlights document that summarized the major findings of the report.^[2] The State of the Climate summarizes the global and regional climate of the preceding calendar year and places it into a historical context. In addition, notable climatic anomalies and events are discussed.

Major findings in the 2010 report were:

• 2010 was one of the two warmest years of the instrumental temperature record
• The El Niño-Southern Oscillation transitioned from El Niño to La Niña
• Changes in the Arctic and Greenland continued to outpace those across the rest of the planet, on average

The 2010 issue included a sidebar detailing the multiple lines of evidence (major variables besides global temperature) consistent with the conclusion of a warming planet. An image associated with this sidebar has been recreated many times since, as the 11 (or ten) indicators of a warming planet.

State of the Climate in 2011

The 2011 edition contained submissions from 376 authors from 46 nations/territories. The La Nina event of that year was a major focus of the report. The cover featured East African women walking to retrieve water in a dust storm. East African drought is not atypical of La Nina episodes.

State of the Climate in 2012

The 2012 edition contained submissions from 394 authors from 54 nations/territories. Its cover featured an Arctic scene, reflecting major events in that region during the year.

Major findings in the 2012 report were:^[3]

• Average global sea level reached a record high (at the time) in 2012.
• Arctic sea ice reached a record-small minimum annual value during September 2012.

State of the Climate in 2013

The 2013 edition has been released on July 17, 2014.^[4] The American Meteorological Society published a supplemental paper online.^[5] The report was compiled by 425 scientists from 57 countries.^[6]

Major findings in the 2013 report include:

• The climate is changing faster than at any other point in recorded history.

State of the Climate in 2014

A report was released for the year of 2014.^[7]

State of the Climate in 2015

A report was released in August 2016 for 2015.^{[8] [9]}

2015 was the hottest year to date. Greenhouse gases were highest on record. Global upper ocean heat content was highest on record. Global sea level was highest on record.^{[10] [11] [12] [13] [14]}

State of the Climate in 2016

Current as of report, 2016 surpassed 2015 as the warmest year in 137 years of recordkeeping.^[15]

Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere surged by a record amount in 2016, according to the World Meteorological Organization.^[16]

State of the Climate in 2017

2017 was recorded as the third warmest year on record.^[17] 2017 was the warmest non-El Niño year in the instrumental record.^[18]

State of the Climate in 2018

All but one of the monthly global ocean and land temperature averages of 2018 ranked among the five warmest for their respective months, marking the year the fourth warmest year in NOAA's 139-year record.^[19]

State of the Climate in 2019

^[20]

See also

• Global warming
• Climate state
• IPCC Fifth Assessment Report
• National Climate Assessment

External links

• State of the Climate summaries
• BAMS State of the Climate NCDC archive of formal reports
• NOAA NCDC Climate Monitoring pages
• State of the Climate: Highlights year list

Notes and References

1. http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/cmb/bams-sotc/2010/webinar-briefing-slides.pdf State of the Climate in 2010
2. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/bams-state-of-the-climate/2010.php BAMS State of the Climate - 2010
3. Web site: State of the Climate in 2012 (Briefing slides).
4. Web site: Report: Climate changing more rapidly than at any point on record. Sid Perkins . AAAS.
5. Web site: State of the Climate in 2013 . Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society . American Meteorological Society.
6. Web site: NOAA: Climate change is getting worse. Laura Barron-Lopez . The Hill. 17 July 2014 .
7. Web site: 2014 State of the Climate: Author Q&A . Arndt . Deke . July 15, 2015 . climate.gov . August 12, 2016 .
8. Web site: 2015 State of the Climate: Highlights . Lindsey . Rebecca . August 2, 2016 . climate.gov . August 12, 2016 . Global carbon dioxide levels hit a new high in 2015, and the observatory at Mauna Loa recorded the largest one-year jump in annual average concentrations..
9. Web site: Environmental records shattered as climate change 'plays out before us'; Temperatures, sea levels and carbon dioxide all hit milestones amid extreme weather in 2015, major international 'state of the climate' report finds . Milman . Oliver . August 2, 2016 . . August 12, 2016 .
10. News: Berwyn . Bob . August 2, 2016 . Latest Climate Report: Heat, More Heat and Signs of Worse to Come; 2015 featured record warm temperatures on every inhabited continent as ice melted and the seas rose at alarming rates. . . August 12, 2016 .
11. News: Samenow . Jason . August 2, 2016 . The 10 most startling facts about climate in 2015 — the warmest year on record . . August 12, 2016 .
12. Web site: Climate Scientists Say 2015 Set Record Highs For Global Heat, Sea Level . Ranosa . Ted . August 4, 2016 . techtimes.com . August 12, 2016 .
13. Web site: Earth's 'Annual Physical' Lists Symptoms of a Hotter World . https://web.archive.org/web/20160804180250/http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2016/08/03/earths-annual-physical-lists-symptoms-of-a-hotter-world/ . dead . August 4, 2016 . Braun . David Maxwell . August 3, 2016 . nationalgeographic.com . . August 12, 2016 .
14. News: Graham . Lloyd . August 3, 2016 . 2015 was warmest on record, set a new high in sea levels, says NOAA report . . August 12, 2016.
15. Web site: 2016 State of the Climate: Highlights . . Climate.gov . . 3 November 2017 .
16. News: Record surge in atmospheric CO2 seen in 2016. BBC News. 30 October 2017.
17. Web site: Global Climate Report - Annual 2017 | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
18. Web site: 2017 State of the Climate: Highlights . . Climate.gov . 19 November 2018 .
19. Web site: Global Climate Report - Annual 2018 . . . . 22 July 2019.
20. https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/201913 Global Climate Report - Annual 2019