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NOAA: September 2015 Hottest Ever Recorded

A new report from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information based in Asheville finds September of 2015 was the hottest September ever recorded.  Thomas Karl, the center's director, says the earth continues to warm and the evidence overwhelmingly points to human beings as the cause, and specifically the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. 

Records have been kept since 1880.  From NOAA's press release:

  • The September average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.62°F (0.90°C) above the 20th century average. This was the highest September temperature in the 1880-2015 record, surpassing the previous record set last year by 0.19°F (0.12°C). September's high temperature was also the greatest rise above average for any month in the 136-year historical record, surpassing the previous record set in both February and March this year by 0.02°F (0.01°C).
  • The September globally-averaged land surface temperature was 2.09°F (1.16°C) above the 20th century average. This was also the highest for September in the 1880-2015 record, surpassing the previous record set in 2009 by 0.16°F (0.09°C).
  • The September globally-averaged sea surface temperature was 1.46°F (0.81°C) above the 20th century average. This was the highest temperature for September in the 1880-2015 record, surpassing the previous record set last year by 0.13°F (0.07°C).
  • On September 11, Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent at 1.70 million square miles, the fourth smallest extent in the 1979-2015 satellite record, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. This was 699,000 square miles below the 1981-2010 average, but 394,000 square miles larger than the record small minimum that occurred in 2012.
  • The average September Arctic sea ice extent was 1.79 million square miles, 720,000 square miles (28.88 percent) below the 1981-2010 average and the fourth smallest monthly extent on record. Below-average sea ice was observed across most regions of the Arctic, while near-average sea ice was observed in the Barents Sea.
  • The average September Antarctic sea ice extent was 7.22 million square miles, 100,000 square miles (0.53 percent) below the 1981-2010 average. This was the 16th smallest Antarctic sea ice extent on record and smallest since 2008. The maximum Antarctic sea extent was not reached until the month of October, and will be reported next month.

You can find the full interview and a link the report at the top of the page.

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