NOAA: December Global Ocean Temperature Second-Warmest on Record

The global ocean surface temperature was the second-warmest on record for December, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center [6] in Asheville, N.C., and based on records going back to 1880. Scientists also reported the combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the eighth-warmest on record for December. For 2009, global temperatures tied with 2006 as the fifth-warmest on record. Also, the earth’s land surface for 2009 was seventh-warmest (tied with 2003) and the ocean surface was fourth-warmest (tied with 2002 and 2004.) (More [7])