A look at how 2016 became the hottest year on record

Today’s Video of the Day is a look at how 2016 came to be the hottest year on record. Using measurements from over 6,300 locations across the globe, scientists from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) tracked the Earth’s temperature from 1880 until 2016.

The data shows that Earth’s average surface temperature has risen about 2 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 1800s, when modern record-keeping began.

According to NASA, 2016 was easily the hottest year in 136 years, marking the third year in a row to set a new global temperature record. To fact check, both the UK Met Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency found similar results.

“We don’t expect record years every year, but the ongoing long-term warming trend is clear,” said GISS director Gavin Schmidt.

Moreover, 8 out of the 12 months in 2016 set their own warmest-ever records.

According to researchers, a substantial portion of the warming has occurred only in the past 35 years. The rise in temperature is thought to be caused primarily by carbon dioxide emissions and other manmade greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. 

The team assembled the analysis using public data taken from meteorological locations on ship and buoy-based tools to Antarctic research stations.

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By Rory Arnold, Earth.com Staff Writer

Video & Image Source: NASA