NEW YORK (Commodity Online): Earth continues to experience warmer temperatures than several decades ago. The average temperature around the globe in 2011 was 0.92 degrees F (0.51 C) warmer than the mid-20th century baseline, according to the NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York.
GISS which monitors global surface temperatures on an ongoing basis,released an updated analysis that shows temperatures around the globe in 2011 compared to the average global temperature from the mid-20th century.
"We know the planet is absorbing more energy than it is emitting and so we are continuing to see a trend toward higher temperatures. Even with the cooling effects of a strong La Nina influence and low solar activity for the past several years, 2011 was one of the 10 warmest years on record.", said James E. Hansen , director, GISS.
According to Hansen, first 11 years of the 21st century experienced notably higher temperatures compared to the middle and late 20th century and the only year from the 20th century in the top 10 warmest years on record is 1998.
Higher temperatures today are largely sustained by increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide.
The carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere was about 285 parts per million in 1880, when the GISS global temperature record begins.
The scientists expect record-breaking global average temperature in the next two to three years because solar activity is on the upswing and the next El Nino will increase tropical Pacific temperatures.
