The Hot Place in 2003? the earth
( 2003-12-18 10:48) (nytimes.com)
The year 2003, marked by a sweltering summer and drought across large swaths
of the planet, was the third hottest in nearly 150 years, the United Nations
weather agency said Tuesday.
The World Meteorological Organization estimated the average surface
temperature for the year to be 0.81 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the normal
25.2 degrees ¡ª a number skewed toward the low side because it includes polar
regions.
The agency said warmer weather could not be attributed to any single cause
but was part of a trend that global warming was likely to prolong.
The agency, which collects data worldwide, said the three hottest years since
accurate records began to be kept in 1861 had all been in the last six years.
The hottest was 1998, when the average temperature was up 0.99 degrees.
"The rhythm of temperature increases is accelerating," said the agency's
deputy secretary general, Michel Jarraud.
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