Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature

[Alex]

Berkeley Earth
http://berkeleyearth.org




Berkeley Earth has just released new results, showing that the average temperature of the Earth’s land has risen by 1.5 °C over the past 250 years. The good match between the new temperature record and historical carbon dioxide records suggests that the most straightforward explanation for this warming is human greenhouse gas emissions.
 
The new analysis from Berkeley Earth goes all the way back to 1753, about 100 years earlier than previous groups’ analysis.  The limited land coverage prior to 1850 results in larger uncertainties in the behavior of the record; despite these, the behavior is significant.   Sudden drops in the early temperature record (1750 to 1850) correspond to known volcanic events.
 
In its 2007 report the IPCC concluded only that “most” of the warming of the past 50 years could be attributed to humans. It was possible, according to the IPCC, that increased solar activity could have contributed to warming prior to 1956.  Berkeley Earth analyzed about 5 times more station records than were used in previous analyses, and this expanded data base along with its new statistical approach allowed Berkeley Earth to go about 100 years farther back in time than previous studies.  By doing so, the Berkeley Earth team was able to conclude that over 250 years, the contribution of solar activity to global warming is negligible.
 
You can access the results here: http://berkeleyearth.org/results-summary
 
A two-page summary for the media is available here: http://berkeleyearth.org/pdf/berkeley-earth-press-release-july-29.pdf
 
Berkeley Earth’s data can be accessed here: http://berkeleyearth.org/data  We hope to add daily data soon.
 
We have also added a feature to look up data by location (continent, country, state, or city), available here: http://berkeleyearth.lbl.gov/country-list
 
In making these results and data accessible to professional and amateur exploration we hope to encourage further analysis. If you have questions or reflections on this work, please contact, [e-mail]  We will attempt to address as many inquiries as possible, and look forward to hearing from you.
 
Best regards,

Elizabeth Muller
Founder and Executive Director
Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature
http://berkeleyearth.org