In 2014, the upper ocean held more heat than average throughout most of the major ocean basins.
Depending on the data set, 2014 was either the warmest or tied-for-warmest year since records began in the mid-to-late 1800s.
In 2014, precipitation over land was generally below average, while precipitation over the oceans was above average.
Overall, average global river outflow in 2014 slightly exceeded the climate normal.
Worldwide in 2014, three dozen reference glaciers experienced an average mass loss equivalent to of 853 millimeters of water equivalent in 2014.
Scientists estimated global average carbon dioxide concentration at 397.2 parts per million (ppm) in 2014, as the global growth rate of carbon dioxide continues to accelerate.
The nationwide average precipitation was the highest ever recorded in 121 years. Devastating floods ended a multi-year drought in the Southern Plains.
From soybeans and sunflowers in North Dakota to cotton and winter wheat in Texas, large stretches of croplands in the U.S. Great Plains rely exclusively on rain. Those croplands are likely to face longer dry spells by mid-century.
Some of the chemicals that replaced ozone-harming CFCs are long-lived greenhouse gases. At NOAA's lab in Boulder, Colorado, chemist Steve Montzka leads the effort to monitor the concentration of CFC-substitutes and their potential impact on global warming.
At the end of April 2015, almost 60 percent of Oklahoma was experiencing moderate to exceptional drought, and 30 percent of Texas was experiencing drought conditions. But according to the May drought outlook, conditions are likely to improve in the southern Plains this month.