Tropopsphere

Lower Troposphere

August Lower Troposphere
August Anomaly Rank
(35 years)
Record Years Decadal Trend
°C °F Year °C °F °C °F
UAH +0.16 +0.29 Coolest 25th 1992 -0.47 -0.85 +0.13 +0.23
Warmest 11th 1998 +0.44 +0.79
RSS +0.07 +0.13 Coolest 22nd 1992 -0.47 -0.85 +0.14 +0.25
Warmest 14th 1998 +0.47 +0.85
June-August Lower Troposphere
June–August Anomaly Rank
(35 years)
Record Years Decadal Trend
°C °F Year °C °F °C °F
UAH +0.21 +0.38 Coolest 29th 1992 -0.37 -0.67 +0.13 +0.23
Warmest 6th 1998 +0.46 +0.83
Ties: 2007
RSS +0.14 +0.25 Coolest 26th 1985 -0.38 -0.68 +0.14 +0.25
Warmest 9th 1998 +0.50 +0.90
Ties: 2003
Year-to-Date Lower Troposphere
January–August Anomaly Rank
(35 years)
Record Years Decadal Trend
°C °F Year °C °F °C °F
UAH +0.22 +0.40 Coolest 30th 1985 -0.31 -0.56 +0.13 +0.23
Warmest 6th 1998 +0.52 +0.94
RSS +0.14 +0.25 Coolest 29th 1985 -0.39 -0.70 +0.13 +0.23
Warmest 7th 1998 +0.54 +0.97

Mid-troposphere

August Mid-troposphere
August Anomaly Rank
(35 years)
Record Years Decadal Trend
°C °F Year °C °F °C °F
UAH +0.12 +0.22 Coolest 25th 1992 -0.32 -0.58 +0.08 +0.14
Warmest 9th 1998 +0.41 +0.74
Ties: 2012, 2006
RSS +0.09 +0.16 Coolest 20th 1992 -0.32 -0.58 +0.10 +0.18
Warmest 14th 1998 +0.44 +0.79
Ties: 1997, 1983
UW-UAH +0.17 +0.31 Coolest 26th 1992 -0.49 -0.88 +0.13 +0.23
Warmest 10th 1998 +0.53 +0.95
UW-RSS +0.13 +0.23 Coolest 23rd 1992 -0.49 -0.88 +0.14 +0.25
Warmest 13th 1998 +0.54 +0.97
June-August Mid-troposphere
June–August Anomaly Rank
(35 years*)
Record Years Decadal Trend
°C °F Year °C °F °C °F
UAH +0.18 +0.32 Coolest 31st 1989 -0.26 -0.47 +0.07 +0.12
Warmest 5th 1998 +0.45 +0.81
RSS +0.14 +0.25 Coolest 28th 1985 -0.35 -0.63 +0.09 +0.16
Warmest 7th 1998 +0.48 +0.86
Ties: 2007
UW-UAH +0.23 +0.41 Coolest 31st 1992 -0.38 -0.68 +0.12 +0.21
Warmest 5th 1998 +0.55 +0.99
UW-RSS +0.19 +0.34 Coolest 29th 1985 -0.39 -0.70 +0.13 +0.24
Warmest 5th 1998 +0.56 +1.01
Ties: 2007, 2005
RATPAC* +0.30 +0.54 Coolest 51st 1965 -0.81 -1.46 +0.16 +0.29
Warmest 6th 1998 +0.59 +1.06

*RATPAC rank is based on 56 years of data

Year-to-Date Mid-troposphere
January–August Anomaly Rank
(35 years*)
Record Years Decadal Trend
°C °F Year °C °F °C °F
UAH +0.15 +0.27 Coolest 30th 1989 -0.27 -0.49 +0.04 +0.07
Warmest 5th 1998 +0.53 +0.95
Ties: 1980
RSS +0.15 +0.27 Coolest 28th 1989 -0.28 -0.50 +0.08 +0.14
Warmest 6th 1998 +0.53 +0.95
Ties: 2007, 1983
UW-UAH +0.19 +0.34 Coolest 31st 1989 -0.33 -0.59 +0.09 +0.17
Warmest 4th 1998 +0.62 +1.12
Ties: 2005
UW-RSS +0.20 +0.36 Coolest 30th 1989 -0.33 -0.59 +0.13 +0.23
Warmest 6th 1998 +0.61 +1.10
RATPAC* +0.32 +0.58 Coolest 53rd 1965 -0.89 -1.60 +0.15 +0.27
Warmest 4th 2010 +0.58 +1.04

*RATPAC rank is based on 56 years of data

Stratosphere

Lower Stratosphere

August Lower Stratosphere
August Anomaly Rank
(35 years)
Record Years Decadal Trend
°C °F Year °C °F °C °F
UAH -0.24 -0.43 Coolest 16th 2007, 1996 -0.55 -0.99 -0.35 -0.63
Warmest 20th 1991 +1.29 +2.32
RSS -0.15 -0.27 Coolest 15th 1996 -0.48 -0.86 -0.25 -0.45
Warmest 20th 1991 +1.17 +2.11
Ties: 2006
June-August Lower Stratosphere
June–August Anomaly Rank
(35 years)
Record Years Decadal Trend
°C °F Year °C °F °C °F
UAH -0.21 -0.38 Coolest 14th 2011 -0.54 -0.97 -0.33 -0.60
Warmest 21st 1982 +1.09 +1.96
Ties: 2006
RSS -0.14 -0.25 Coolest 15th 1996 -0.47 -0.85 -0.25 -0.45
Warmest 21st 1982 +0.99 +1.78
Year-to-Date Lower Stratosphere
January–August Anomaly Rank
(35 years)
Record Years Decadal Trend
°C °F Year °C °F °C °F
UAH -0.28 -0.50 Coolest 12th 2012 -0.52 -0.94 -0.34 -0.62
Warmest 23rd 1983 +1.03 +1.85
Ties: 1997
RSS -0.24 -0.43 Coolest 11th 2012 -0.45 -0.81 -0.27 -0.49
Warmest 25th 1992 +0.99 +1.78

Background

Temperatures above the Earth's surface are measured within the lower troposphere, middle troposphere, and stratosphere using in-situ balloon-borne instruments (radiosondes) and polar-orbiting satellites (NOAA's TIROS-N). The radiosonde and satellite records have been adjusted to remove time-dependent biases (artificialities caused by changes in radiosonde instruments and measurement practices as well as changes in satellite instruments and orbital features through time). Global averages from radiosonde data are available from 1958 to present, while satellite measurements date back to 1979.

The mid-troposphere temperatures are centered in the in the atmospheric layer approximately 3–10 km [2–6 miles] above the Earth's surface, which also includes a portion of the lower stratosphere. (The Microwave Sounding Unit [MSU] channel used to measure mid-tropospheric temperatures receives about 25 percent of its signal above 10 km [6 miles].) Because the stratosphere has cooled due to increasing greenhouse gases in the troposphere and losses of ozone in the stratosphere, the stratospheric contribution to the tropospheric average, as measured from satellites, creates an artificial component of cooling to the mid-troposphere temperatures. The University of Washington (UW) versions of the UAH and RSS analyses attempt to remove the stratospheric influence from the mid-troposphere measurements, and as a result the UW versions tend to have a larger warming trend than either the UAH or RSS versions. For additional information, please see NCEI's Microwave Sounding Unit page.

The radiosonde data used in this global analysis were developed using the Lanzante, Klein, Seidel (2003) ("LKS") bias-adjusted dataset and the First Difference Method (Free et al. 2004) (RATPAC). Additional details are available. Satellite data have been adjusted by the Global Hydrology and Climate Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). An independent analysis is also performed by Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) and a third analysis has been performed by Dr. Qiang Fu of the University of Washington (UW) (Fu et al. 2004)** to remove the influence of the stratosphere on the mid-troposphere value. Global averages from radiosonde data are available from 1958 to present, while satellite measurements began in 1979.

References


Citing This Report

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Monthly Upper Air Report for August 2013, published online September 2013, retrieved on March 28, 2024 from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/upper-air/201308.