2014 was hottest year in a century
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028547
Nature : Last year was unusual in that it was the hottest since 1891 despite its having no El Niño event. The previous three hottest years on record—2010, 2005, and 1998—all featured an El Niño. In addition, Earth has been experiencing a “warming hiatus” over the past decade, with an average global temperature rise less than that of any previous decade over the past half century. Nevertheless, scientists say that neither the decrease in average global temperature rise nor the record warmth in 2014 indicates a major change in Earth’s continuing warming trend. “Variability happens in both directions, up as well as down,” says climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer of Princeton University.
