Scientists say this decade was warmest, 2009 fifth-warmest year on record

Scientists have concluded that the first decade of the 21st century is the warmest one in recorded history.

The report, which was issued by the World Meteorological Association on the second day of an international conference on climate change, also said that 2009 will likely end up as the fifth-warmest year since 1850, the year researchers began to collect climate records.

"The global combined sea surface and land surface air temperature for 2009 (January–October) is currently estimated at 0.44°C ± 0.11°C (0.79°F ± 0.20°F) above the 1961–1990 annual average of 14.00°C/57.2°F," the report said.

The annual mean temperature on all of the planet's continents except North America was higher than the historical norm in 2009, the scientists said, and "large parts" of southern Asia and central Africa will probably end up having experienced the warmest year on record.

The report emphasized that Earth's changing climate is causing extreme weather events worldwide.

"Climate extremes, including devastating floods, severe droughts, snowstorms, heatwaves and cold waves, were recorded in many parts of the world," a press release issued by the organization said. "This year the extreme warm events were more frequent and intense in southern South America, Australia and southern Asia, in particular."

The information about 2009 released by the WMO is based on a review of climate data gathered at a variety of land-based weather and climate stations, ships, buoys and satellites. The data is collected by the national weather agencies of the WMO's 189 member countries and several research institutions.

The data obtained from these agencies is provided to three "depository global climate data and analysis centers." It is then reviewed in a complimentary manner using peer-reviewed methods.

Two of those centers for the collection and interpretation of climate data are in the United States and are operated by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Goddard Institute of Space Studies of the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA).

The substance of WMO's report on the state of Earth's climate is verified by leading climatologists from several international, regional and national climate research organizations before it is published.

The WMO will release final figures for 2009 when it publishes a final report, called the Statement on the Status of the Global Climate, in March 2010.