Earth has warmed rapidly over recent decades— and temperature continues to climb
You are viewing of global temperature records.
Baseline temperature
Global temperature change is usually shown compared to an average, or "baseline," temperature. The horizontal line across the middle of the graph onscreen represents average global temperature for the years 1901-2000.
Change from average
Expressing temperature in relation to a baseline is useful because it most effectively shows how the temperature has changed through time.
Move sliders below
to explore the warming trend
Data source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.
Climate at a Glance: Global Time Series, 2018.