iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Temperatures on Earth were the warmest in 2016 since modern record-keeping began in 1880, according to independent analyses by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, boosting the argument shared by many climate scientists that our planet is changing in significant ways.
The year 2016 was the third consecutive year to set a new record for global average surface temperatures, and far exceeded the temperature mark set in 2015, scientists said Wednesday.
Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), said in a statement that the consistent pattern of record-breaking temperatures is indicative of a “warming trend” taking place on Earth.
“2016 is remarkably the third record year in a row in this series,” Schmidt said.
“We don’t expect record years every year, but the ongoing long-term warming trend is clear.
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