Temperature Trends (IMAGE)
Caption
This image shows retroactively simulated and observed 15-year trends of the global mean surface temperature since 1900. For each year from 1900 to 1998, the 15-year trend indicates how the temperature will change over the next 15 years. Between 1900 and 1914, it decreased for example, by about 0.09 degrees Celsius. For this first year, the models predict a weaker negative or even positive temperature trend ahead. The colour shading indicates - based on the available 114 simulations - the frequency with which a simulated temperature trend occurs for each start year. The circles represent the observed temperature trends. For 1998, the observed value is at the lower limit of the ensemble of the simulations. This means that between 1998-2012, the temperatures of the Earth's surface increased less significantly on average than predicted by climate models.
Credit
<i>Nature</i> 2015/MPI for Meteorology
Usage Restrictions
None
License
Licensed content