2021 tied for sixth warmest year on NASA’s record

Meanwhile, an independent analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also concluded that the global surface temperature for 2021 was the sixth-highest since record-keeping began in 1880. NOAA scientists have a different baseline period (1901-2000) and methodology in their analysis.

The global average surface temperature of Earth in 2021 was the sixth warmest on a record that extends back to 1880, according to NASA's annual analysis of global average temperatures.

The NASA analysis reveals that, last year, Earth was about 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit (or about 1.1 degrees Celsius) warmer than the late 19th-century average when the industrial revolution started.

Eight of the top 10 warmest years on our planet occurred in the last decade, an indisputable fact that underscores the need for bold action to safeguard the future of our country – and all of humanity. NASA's scientific research about how Earth is changing and getting warmer will guide communities throughout the world, helping humanity confront climate and mitigate its devastating effects.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson

Scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), who produce this record, use a fixed period of 1951 to 1980 that serves as a baseline to compare how global temperatures today are deviating from what was normal then. It includes climate patterns and unusually hot or cold years due to other factors, ensuring that it encompasses natural variations in Earth's temperature.

Meanwhile, an independent analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also concluded that the global surface temperature for 2021 was the sixth-highest since record-keeping began in 1880. NOAA scientists have a different baseline period (1901-2000) and methodology in their analysis.

🌡 2021 was tied for the sixth-warmest year since at least 1880, when @NASA's record begins. We work together with @NOAA to track Earth's global temperature as part of our work monitoring our changing climate. https://t.co/VoL93oVnoq pic.twitter.com/KtueEw372P

— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) January 13, 2022