Temperature Record 101: How We Know What We Know

  • Released Thursday, January 13, 2022
View full credits

2021 was tied for the sixth warmest year on NASA’s record, stretching more than a century.

But, what is a temperature record?

GISTEMP, NASA’s global temperature analysis, takes in millions of observations from instruments on weather stations, ships and ocean buoys, and Antarctic research stations, to determine how much warmer or cooler Earth is on average from year to year.
Stretching back to 1880, NASA’s record shows a clear warming trend. However, individual weather events and La Niña — a pattern of cooler waters in the Pacific that was responsible for slightly cooling 2021’s average temperature — can affect individual years.

Because the record is global, not every place on Earth experienced the sixth warmest year on record. Some places had record-high temperatures, and we saw record droughts, floods and fires around the globe.

Universal Production Music: Knock and Wait (Instrumental) by Brice Davoli [SACEM], Well That’s Difference (Instrumental) by Jeff Cardoni [ASCAP], Wanna Be Hipster (Instrumental) by Jeff Cardoni [ASCAP], Curiosity Killed Kitty (Instrumental) by Robert Leslie Bennett [ASCAP], Eco Issues (Instrumental) by Max van Thun [GEMA]

Additional Footage: Pond5.com, CSPAN

Complete transcript available.

2021 tied for Earth’s sixth warmest year on record, continuing a long-term trend. The last decade was the hottest since at least 1880.

Complete transcript available.

2021 empató como el sexto año más cálido de la Tierra, lo que continúa una tendencia a largo plazo. La última década fue la más cálida por lo menos desde 1880.

Complete transcript available.

Vertical Version

This vertical version of the video is for IGTV or Snapchat. The IGTV episode can be pulled into Instagram Stories and the regular Instagram feed.

Vertical Version

This vertical version of the video is for IGTV or Snapchat. The IGTV episode can be pulled into Instagram Stories and the regular Instagram feed.

Vertical Version

This vertical version of the video is for IGTV or Snapchat. The IGTV episode can be pulled into Instagram Stories and the regular Instagram feed.

Vertical Version

This vertical version of the video is for IGTV or Snapchat. The IGTV episode can be pulled into Instagram Stories and the regular Instagram feed.

Video segment: What is GISTEMP?

Complete transcript available.

Video segment: How We Know What We Know

Complete transcript available.

Video segment: Climate Change: The Carbon Factor

Complete transcript available.

Video segment: Climate Change: Is It Us?

Complete transcript available.

Video segment: Our Connected Earth

Complete transcript available.

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

This page was originally published on Thursday, January 13, 2022.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 9:06 PM EDT.

Series

This page can be found in the following series: