Question

How much has the global average temperature risen in the last century?
1. 3.0º F
2. 1.8º F
3. 3.4º F
4. 2.4º F

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 2 : 1.8º F

The correct answer is 1.8º F.

Average surface temperature -

• The global surface temperature has been measured since 1880 at a network of ground-based and ocean-based sites.
• Over the last century, the average surface temperature of the Earth has increased by about 1.0^o F. Hence option 2 is correct.
• The eleven warmest years this century have all occurred since 1980, with 1995 the warmest on record.
• The higher latitudes have warmed more than the equatorial regions.
• Beginning in 1979, satellites have been used to measure the temperature of the atmosphere up to a height of 30,000 feet.
• The long-term surface record and the recent satellite observations differ, but that fact is not surprising.
• The two techniques measure the temperature of different parts of the Earth system - the surface, and various layers of the atmosphere.
• Global mean sea level has risen 4 to 10 inches over the last 100 years, mainly because water expands when heated.