The ''State of the Climate'' is an annual report that is primarily led by the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...

National Climatic Data Center The United States National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), previously known as the National Weather Records Center (NWRC), in Asheville, North Carolina, was the world's largest active archive of weather data. Starting as a tabulation unit in New Or ...

(NOAA/NCDC), located in Asheville, North Carolina, but whose leadership and authorship spans roughly 100 institutions in about 50 countries.

Release

The report appears as a supplement to a summer issue of the ''

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society The ''Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society'' is a scientific journal published by the American Meteorological Society. ''BAMS'' is the flagship magazine of AMS and publishes peer reviewed articles of interest and significance for the w ...

'' (BAMS), a publication of the

American Meteorological Society The American Meteorological Society (AMS) is the premier scientific and professional organization in the United States promoting and disseminating information about the atmospheric, oceanic, and hydrologic sciences. Its mission is to advance th ...

. The State of the Climate report, known until 2001 as the ''Climate Assessment'', is an international effort.

State of the Climate in 2010

The 2010 edition (released June 28, 2011) contained submissions from 368 authors from 45 nations and covered 41 climate indicators. The 2010 edition contained a highlights document that summarized the major findings of the report. The State of the Climate summarizes the global and regional climate of the preceding calendar year and places it into a historical context. In addition, notable climatic anomalies and events are discussed. Major findings in the 2010 report were: * 2010 was one of the two warmest years of the

instrumental temperature record The instrumental temperature record is a record of temperatures within Earth's climate based on direct, instrument-based measurements of air temperature and ocean temperature. Instrumental temperature records are distinguished from indirect rec ...

* The

El Niño-Southern Oscillation EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American p ...

transitioned from

El Niño El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date ...

La Niña La Niña (; ) is an oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon that is the colder counterpart of as part of the broader El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern. The name ''La Niña'' originates from Spanish for "the girl", by an ...

* Changes in the

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...

and

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...

continued to outpace those across the rest of the planet, on average The 2010 issue included a sidebar detailing the multiple lines of evidence (major variables besides global temperature) consistent with the conclusion of a warming planet. An image associated with this sidebar has been recreated many times since, as the 11 (or ten) indicators of a warming planet.

State of the Climate in 2011

The 2011 edition contained submissions from 376 authors from 46 nations/territories. The La Nina event of that year was a major focus of the report. The cover featured East African women walking to retrieve water in a dust storm. East African drought is not atypical of La Nina episodes.

State of the Climate in 2012

The 2012 edition contained submissions from 394 authors from 54 nations/territories. Its cover featured an Arctic scene, reflecting major events in that region during the year. Major findings in the 2012 report were: *Average global sea level reached a record high (at the time) in 2012. *Arctic sea ice reached a record-small minimum annual value during September 2012.

State of the Climate in 2013

The 2013 edition has been released on July 17, 2014. The

published a supplemental paper online. The report was compiled by 425 scientists from 57 countries. Major findings in the 2013 report include: * The climate is changing faster than at any other point in recorded history.

State of the Climate in 2014

A report was released for the year of 2014.

State of the Climate in 2015

A report was released in August 2016 for 2015. 2015 was the hottest year to date.

Greenhouse gases A greenhouse gas (GHG or GhG) is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapor (), carbon dioxide (), methane ...

were highest on record. Global upper ocean heat content was highest on record. Global

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

was highest on record.

State of the Climate in 2016

Current as of report, 2016 surpassed 2015 as the warmest year in 137 years of recordkeeping. Concentrations of carbon dioxide () in the

Earth's atmosphere The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing fo ...

surged by a record amount in 2016, according to the

World Meteorological Organization The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology and geophysics. The WMO originated from the Intern ...

State of the Climate in 2017

2017 was recorded as the third warmest year on record. 2017 was the warmest non-El Niño year in the instrumental record.

State of the Climate in 2018

All but one of the monthly global ocean and land temperature averages of 2018 ranked among the five warmest for their respective months, marking the year the fourth warmest year in NOAA's 139-year record.

State of the Climate in 2019

Global Climate Report - Annual 2019
National Centers for Environmental Information

References

External links

State of the Climate summaries

BAMS State of the Climate
NCDC archive of formal reports
NOAA NCDC Climate Monitoring pages

State of the Climate: Highlights
year list {{DEFAULTSORT:State Of The Climate Environmental reports National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climatology American Meteorological Society