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Blistering heat blanketed the Earth last year, making 2015 by far the hottest year in modern times and raising new concerns about the accelerating pace of climate change.
Not only was 2015 the warmest worldwide since 1880, it shattered the previous record held in 2014 by the widest margin ever observed, said the report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"During 2015, the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit (0.90 Celsius) above the 20th century average," said the NOAA report.
"This was the highest among all years in the 1880-2015 record."
Compared to 2014, last year was 0.29 degrees Fahrenheit warmer, the "largest margin by which the annual global temperature record has been broken."
The US space agency NASA, which monitors global climate using a fleet of satellites and weather stations, confirmed that last year broke records for heat in contemporary times.
NASA said that the temperature changes are largely driven by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere.
"Climate change is the challenge of our generation," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
"Today's announcement not only underscores how critical NASA's Earth observation program is, it is a key data point that should make policymakers stand up and take notice — now is the time to act on climate."
More warming ahead
NOAA's announcement came against a backdrop of the recently completed Paris climate talks, at which the goal of capping global warming at two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels was enshrined.
As a result, melting ice sheets and warming oceans will lead to rising seas in the coming years.
Rain will become heavier and some storms more severe as the globe heats up, and cold snaps may become rarer.
"This trend will continue," said Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
Because of the strong El Nino influence at the beginning of this year, "2016 is expected to be an exceptionally warm year and perhaps even another record," he told reporters.
According to Astrid Caldas, climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, the news of 2015's record was no surprise, but the year-over-year jump merits attention.
"It's significant that 2015 was hotter than the previous record by so much in both calculations because it points to a strong warming trend that's been observed lately," she said.
Feeling the heat: 2015 was the hottest year by far, 2016 expected to be worse - Firstpost
Not only was 2015 the warmest worldwide since 1880, it shattered the previous record held in 2014 by the widest margin ever observed, said the report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"During 2015, the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit (0.90 Celsius) above the 20th century average," said the NOAA report.
"This was the highest among all years in the 1880-2015 record."
Compared to 2014, last year was 0.29 degrees Fahrenheit warmer, the "largest margin by which the annual global temperature record has been broken."
The US space agency NASA, which monitors global climate using a fleet of satellites and weather stations, confirmed that last year broke records for heat in contemporary times.
NASA said that the temperature changes are largely driven by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere.
"Climate change is the challenge of our generation," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
"Today's announcement not only underscores how critical NASA's Earth observation program is, it is a key data point that should make policymakers stand up and take notice — now is the time to act on climate."
More warming ahead
NOAA's announcement came against a backdrop of the recently completed Paris climate talks, at which the goal of capping global warming at two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels was enshrined.
As a result, melting ice sheets and warming oceans will lead to rising seas in the coming years.
Rain will become heavier and some storms more severe as the globe heats up, and cold snaps may become rarer.
"This trend will continue," said Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
Because of the strong El Nino influence at the beginning of this year, "2016 is expected to be an exceptionally warm year and perhaps even another record," he told reporters.
According to Astrid Caldas, climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, the news of 2015's record was no surprise, but the year-over-year jump merits attention.
"It's significant that 2015 was hotter than the previous record by so much in both calculations because it points to a strong warming trend that's been observed lately," she said.
Feeling the heat: 2015 was the hottest year by far, 2016 expected to be worse - Firstpost
