2001-2010 Warmest Decade in History: WMO Report

The last ten years, from 2001 to 2010, was the warmest decade since 1850, according to a new report from World Meteorological Organization.

Researchers said that the decade was the warmest for both land and ocean temperatures in both the hemispheres. There was also a major loss of ice from Antarctica and more glaciers melting due to a rise in temperatures.

The report, The Global Climate 2001-2010, A Decade of Climate Extremes, not only looked at temperature and rainfall across the world in the past decade, but also looked at the major catastrophes that occurred during the study period, such as Hurricane Katrina in the United States of America, heat waves in Russia and Europe, floods in Pakistan and droughts in the Amazon Basin.

The sea-levels, according to the report, rose by 3 millimetres (mm) per year, which is nearly double the level rise recorded in the previous century- 1.6 mm per year.

Two U.S. federal government scientists had recently said that arctic summer ice will completely melt away by 2050. Also, the ice-sheet in Antarctica is increasing due to rise in temperatures worldwide.

The present report also found an increase in greenhouse gases; with carbon dioxide concentration in atmosphere increasing to 389 parts per million in 2010 (which is about 39 percent up from 1750), methane to 1808.0 parts per billion (158%) and nitrous oxide to 323.2 parts per billion (20%).

There was also no major El Niño event in the past decade. Most parts of the decade saw either La Niña or neutral conditions.

"A decade is the minimum possible timeframe for meaningful assessments of climate change. WMO's report shows that global warming was significant from 1971 to 2010 and that the decadal rate of increase between 1991-2000 and 2001-2010 was unprecedented.  Rising concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are changing our climate, with far reaching implications for our environment and our oceans, which are absorbing both carbon dioxide and heat," Michel Jarraud, Secretary General of WMO, according to a news release.

WMO had recently announced that 2012 was the warmest year.