Each of the last three decades was warmer than all earlier decades in the instrumental record, and each set a new and statistically significant record, culminating in the 2000s, which was the warmest decade of all.
State of the Climate in 2009
July 28, 2010
At the highest point atop the Greenland Ice Sheet, Matthew Shupe and his colleagues are installing a suite of climate and weather instruments. Their goal is to better understand the role of clouds in the rapid warming observed across the Arctic region.
Will ocean currents carry oil and byproducts from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead beyond the Gulf of Mexico and out into the open Atlantic Ocean? Climate data and computer models help scientists predict how and where.
After a brief respite, the stratospheric polar vortex is expected to weaken again, and another major sudden stratospheric warming could be on the way.
A major disruption of the stratospheric polar vortex occurred. What happens next? The stratosphere will try to communicate its artistic vision down to the troposphere, but the troposphere may have its own masterpiece in mind.
In a record going back to 1850, Earth hasn't had a year colder than the 20th-century average since 1976—almost half a century.
The latest forecast says a major disruption of the polar vortex is on its way, but the stratosphere has been acting up for a while. Our bloggers explain what it might mean for U.S. weather.