Global Highlights:
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Contents of this Section: |
The data presented in this
report are preliminary. Ranks and anomalies may change as more
complete data are received and processed. The most current data may
be accessed via the Global Surface
Temperature Anomalies page.
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IntroductionTemperature anomalies for March 2007 are shown
on the dot maps below. The dot map, below left, provides a spatial
representation of anomalies calculated from the Global
Historical Climatology Network (GHCN) data set of land surface
stations using a 1961-1990 base period. The dot map, below right,
is a product of a merged land surface and sea surface temperature
anomaly analysis developed by Smith and Reynolds (2005).
Temperature anomalies with respect to the 1961-1990 mean for land
and ocean are analyzed separately and then merged to form the
global analysis. Additional information on this product is available.
Anomalously warm temperatures have covered
much of the globe throughout the first three months of the year.
The
January-March 2007 map of temperature anomalies shows the
presence of warmer than average temperatures across all land areas
with the exception of cooler than average temperatures in Alaska.
Additional information on Alaska temperatures are available on the
US
National page. Warmer than average Sea Surface Temperatures
(SST) occured in the equatorial Pacific, North and South Atlantic
and the Indian Ocean. Cooler than average conditions were observed
in the northeastern Pacific and some areas in the South
Pacific.
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During March, there were above average
temperatures across Europe, the contiguous U.S., Mexico,
southeastern Brazil, and most of Asia. Cooler than average
temperatures were observed in Alaska, central Russia, and parts of
Canada. Warmer than average SSTs occurred in the North Atlantic
Ocean, North Indian Ocean, Northwestern Pacific Ocean, and the
Niño 4
region. SSTs decreased in the Niño 1+2, 3 and 3.4
regions during the month of March, indicative of neutral ENSO
conditions. Please see the latest ENSO
discussion for additional information.
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The mean position of upper level ridges of
high pressure and troughs of low pressure (depicted by positive and
negative 500-millibar height anomalies on the March map) are
generally reflected by areas of positive and negative temperature
anomalies at the surface, respectively. For other Global products
see the Climate Monitoring
Global Products page.
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Images of sea surface temperature conditions are available for all weeks during 2007 at the weekly SST page. |
Temperature Rankings and Graphics |
Effective with the February 2006 report, NCDC
transitioned from the use of the Operational Global Surface
Temperature Index (Quayle et al. 1999) to the
blended land and ocean dataset developed by Smith and Reynolds (2005).
The differences between the two methods are discussed in Smith et al. (2005).
March 2007 ranked fifth warmest March since
global surface records began in 1880 for combined global land and
ocean surface temperatures. March land surface temperatures were
fourth warmest, while ocean surface temperatures were sixth warmest
in the 127-year record. The January - March 2007 land and ocean
combined temperature is second warmest on record behind 2002.
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Current Month Year-to-date |
March | Anomaly | Rank | Warmest Year on Record |
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GlobalLandOcean Land and Ocean |
+1.16°C (+2.09°F) +0.41°C (+0.74°F) +0.61°C (+1.10°F) |
4th warmest 6th warmest 5th warmest |
1990 (+1.45°C/2.61°F) 1998 (+0.51°C/0.92°F) 2002 (+0.75°C/1.35°F) |
Northern HemisphereLandOcean Land and Ocean |
+1.31°C (+2.36°F) +0.45°C (+0.81°F) +0.77°C (+1.39°F) |
6th warmest 3rd warmest 5th warmest |
1990 (+1.99°C/3.58°F) 2004 (+0.49°C/0.88°F) 1990 (+0.90°C/1.62°F) |
Southern HemisphereLandOcean Land and Ocean |
+0.71°C (+1.28°F) +0.39°C (+0.70°F) +0.43°C (+0.77°F) |
6th warmest 11th warmest 10th warmest |
1988 (+1.60°C/2.88°F) 2002 (+0.56°C/1.01°F) 1988 (+0.63°C/1.13°F) |
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January-March | Anomaly | Rank | Warmest Year on Record |
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GlobalLandOcean Land and Ocean |
+1.30°C (+2.34°F) +0.45°C (+0.81°F) +0.68°C (+1.22°F) |
2nd warmest 5th warmest 2nd warmest |
2002 (+1.50°C/2.70°F) 1998 (+0.53°C/0.95°F) 2002 (+0.73°C/1.31°F) |
Northern HemisphereLandOcean Land and Ocean |
+1.53°C (+2.75°F) +0.47°C (+0.85°F) +0.87°C (+1.57°F) |
2nd warmest 3rd warmest 2nd warmest |
2002 (+1.87°C/3.37°F) 1998 (+0.50°C/0.90°F) 2002 (+0.95°C/1.71°F) |
Southern HemisphereLandOcean Land and Ocean |
+0.62°C (+1.12°F) +0.44°C (+0.79°F) +0.47°C (+0.85°F) |
5th warmest 7th warmest 7th warmest |
1998 (+0.86°C/1.55°F) 1998 (+0.56°C/1.01°F) 1998 (+0.60°C/1.08°F) |
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PrecipitationThe maps below represent anomaly values based
on the GHCN data set of land surface stations using a base period
of 1961-1990. During March 2007, above average precipitation fell
over areas that include the central U.S., northeastern Australia,
the western coast of Canada, and parts of Europe. Drier than
average conditions were observed in the southeastern U.S., eastern
Brazil, and eastern Australia. Additional details on flooding and
drought can also be found on the March Global Hazards
page.
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ENSO SST AnalysisClick here for animated loop |
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ReferencesPeterson, T.C. and R.S. Vose, 1997: An Overview of the Global Historical Climatology Network Database. Bull. Amer. Meteorol. Soc., 78, 2837-2849. Quayle, R. G., T. C. Peterson, A. N. Basist, and C. S. Godfrey, 1999: An operational near-real-time global temperature index. Geophys. Res. Lett., 26, 333-335. Smith, T. M., and R. W. Reynolds (2005), A global merged land air and sea surface temperature reconstruction based on historical observations (1880-1997), J. Clim., 18, 2021-2036. |