Five-year moving average ocean heat content in the upper 700 m (orange) and 2 000 m (blue) (Source: Data from NOAA NCEI Ocean Climate Laboratory, United States, updated from Levitus et al. (2012)) (Source: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Australia) Summer surface melting of the Greenland ice sheet continued at above-average levels, with the summer melt extent exceeding the 1981–2010 average in all five years from 2011to 2015 (Source: National Snow and Ice Data Center/Thomas Mote, University of Georgia, United States) GLOBAL PRECIPITATION VERY DRY IN PLACES AND WET IN OTHERS MAJOR OSCILLATIONS SHAPED CLIMATE VARIABILITY GLOBAL TEMPERATURE INCREASE CONTINUES 2015: Warmest year, over 1° higher than pre-Industrial period 2011-2015: Warmest five-year period 2001-2010: Warmest decade RECORD WARMING AT OCEAN SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE In 2015, global ocean heat content reached record levels through both the upper 700 m and 2 000 m of the oceans SEA LEVELS CONTINUE TO RISE Global sea levels continued to rise over the period 2011–2015. The level of interannual variability in global sea level over the period was high by the standards of the satellite era. WIDESPREAD MELTING OF ICE EXCEPT IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN HIGH IMPACT EXTREMES CONCENTRATION OF LONG-LIVED GREENHOUSE GASES CONTINUES TO INCREASE In 2015, the annual mean concentrations in the atmosphere of These concentrations increased consistently throughout the period from 2011 onward. Global five-year average temperature anomalies (relative to 1961–1990) for 2011– 2015. The analysis uses HadCRUT4 analysis produced by the Met Office Hadley Centre in collaboration with the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, United Kindgdom. Three month running means of the sea-surface temperature anomaly in the Niño 3.4 region (the NOAA Oceanic Nino Index) (Source: Data provided by NOAA) Total precipitation for the period October 2012–September 2015 expressed as a percentile of the 1951–2010 reference period for areas that would have been in the driest 20% (brown) and wettest 20% (green) of years during the reference period, with darker shades of brown and green indicating the driest and wettest 10%, respectively (Source: Global Precipitation Climatology Centre, Deutscher Wetterdienst, Germany) Arctic (left) and Antarctic (right) September 1979–2015 sea-ice extent measured in millions of square kilometres (Source: Data provided by the National Snow and Ice Data Center, United States) 2015 2014 2013 2012 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 –5 –10 –15 –20 –25 –30 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 –5 –10 –15 –20 –25 –30 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 –5 –10 –15 –20 –25 –30 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 –5 –10 –15 –20 –25 –30 Melt anomaly (days) Melt anomaly (days) Melt anomaly (days) Melt anomaly (days) CO 2 CH 4 N 2 O 400 parts per million 1 845 parts per billion 328 parts per billion 180 90W 0 90E 180 90S 45S 0 45N 90N –10 –5 –3 –1 –0.5 –0.2 0 0.2 5 3 1 0.5 10 Temperature difference (°C) compared to the 1961–1990 average 5–year average 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Year –10 0 10 20 Ocean heat content (10 22 joules) 0–2 000 m 0–700 m 180 60W 120W 0 120E 60E 180 90S 60S 30S 0 30N 60N 90N 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 Percentile of 1951–2010 reference period – 0.5 – 1 – 1.5 – 2.5 – 2 0 1.5 1 2.5 2 0.5 Oceanic Niño Index (°C) 1950 1950 1955 1955 1960 1960 1965 1965 1970 1970 1975 1975 1980 1980 1985 1985 1990 1990 1995 1995 2000 2000 2005 2005 2010 2010 2015 2015 Year 17 16 18 22 21 20 19 Extent (million km 2 ) 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Year 3 2 5 4 8 7 6 Extent (million km 2 ) 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Year >7 800 deaths in the Philippines attributed to Typhoon Haiyan, 2013 >US$ 67 billion Economic losses attributed to Hurricane Sandy, 2012 >250 000 Excess deaths attributed to drought and famine in 2011–2012 in the Horn of Africa X10 Extreme Events Probability that climate change affected occurrence of many extremes >4 100 deaths attributed to heatwaves in Pakistan and India, 2015 – 30 – 40 0 10 – 20 30 20 – 10 50 40 Global mean sea level (mm) Seasonal signal removed Inverse barometer correction applied Glacial isostatic ajustment (GIA) correction applied Monthly 3-month running mean Trend = 3.4 mm/year Time span: January 1993 -> July 2016 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 Year The Global Climate in 2011–2015 WMO-No. 1179 WEATHER CLIMATE WATER The Global Climate in 2011-2015 is the authoritative source of information on the state of the climate and impacts. It builds on operational monitoring systems at global, regional and national scales. Countries take a participative approach. Authored by Blair Terwin and Omar Baddour, with scientific coordination provided by the WMO Commission for Climatology, it is peer reviewed and published in English, French, Spanish and Arabic. Download at public.wmo.int WEATHER CLIMATE WATER The Status of the Global Climate in 2011-2015