Preserve Our Climate (POC)

U.S. and Global Temperature Summary Data for June 2005 and Other Indications of Global Warming

http://madison.indymedia.org/feature/display/25318/index.php

June 2005 was the second warmest June on record according to a new report issued by the U.S. National Climate Data Center, exceeded only by temperatures in June 1998, which was a strong El Nino year. Monthly global average temperatures have been warmer than the 1971- 2000 average monthly temperatures for 120 straight months, going back to May 1995.

Meanwhile, evidence of accelerating global warming is evident in increased glacial and polar ice melting around the world, ocean temperature warming and faster than predicted sea level rises. Excessive carbon in the atmosphere is already causing irreparable environmental damage to the Earth's oceans and drastic cuts in emissions are necessary to prevent further devastation, a panel of leading scientists has warned.

Can there realistically be any doubt that global warming is already well underway?

The National Climate Data Center reported last week that the average global temperature for combined land and ocean surfaces for June (based on preliminary data) was 1.1°F (0.60°C) above the 1880-2004 long-term mean. This was the second warmest June for combined land and ocean surface temperatures since 1880 (the beginning of reliable instrumental records). For global land surfaces alone, June 2005 set a new record with a temperature that was 1.9°F (1.06°C) above average. Widespread anomalous warmth covered much of the Asian continent, Western Europe, Canada and the eastern half of Australia. The global ocean surface temperature was second warmest on record.

A heat wave, which began in May 2005 across areas of South Asia, continued into late June. Hundreds of people reportedly died as a result of temperatures reaching 113°F-122°F (45°C-50°C) in parts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. A heat wave in Italy in late June was the most severe in the northern part of the country since 2003.

The average temperature for the contiguous United States for June (based on preliminary data) was 0.9°F (0.5°C) above the 1895-2004 mean. New York State had its warmest June on record, with 12 other states from Minnesota to Maine ranking much above normal for the month.

Wisconsin, Michigan, and Vermont had their second warmest June on record. Much of the anomalous warmth occurred in the second week of the month, when mean temperatures in parts of the Northeast quarter of the country exceeded 10°F above average.

The statewide temperature for Alaska was 3.0°F (1.7°C) above the 1971-2000 mean, the third warmest June since statewide records began in 1918.

Three other recently completed climate-related studies published in the scientific journals which reflect unprecidented rates of ice melting, oceans warming and sea levels rising are summarized below:

Hillary Issues Call to Save Mt. Everest (July 11) — Edmund Hillary, the first climber to conquer Mount Everest with his Sherpa guide, urged that the world's highest mountain be placed on the United Nations' list of endangered heritage sites because of the risks of climate change.

http://ap.lancasteronline.com/4/unesco_everest

Data Reveal Sea Levels Have Risen More than 1 Inch in Last Decade (July 7) — For the first time, NASA has the tools and expertise tounderstand the rate at which sea level is changing, some of the mechanisms that drive those changes and the effects that sea level change may have worldwide.

http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/s/krwashbureau/20050708/ts_krwashbureau/ _bc_env_sealevels_wa

North Atlantic Ocean Temps Hit Record High (July 7) — Ocean temperatures in the North Atlantic hit an all-time high last year, raising concerns about the effects of global warming on one of the most sensitive and productive ecosystems in the world.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=920468&CMP=OTC- RSSFeeds0312

Carbon Emissions Threaten Sea Life (July 5) — Excessive carbon in the atmosphere is already causing irreparable environmental damage to the Earth's oceans and drastic cuts in emissions are necessary to prevent further devastation, a panel of leading scientists has warned.

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/07/04/oceans.acid/

See also:

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2005/jun/global.html#Temp

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/2005/jun/glob_jan- jun_pg.gif