Recent Changes in Global Temperature

From the Pleistocene to the Industrial Revolution during the 1800s, Earth's temperature has risen. There have been minor ups and downs, but each time, the temperature change has been been less than 1ºC (1.8ºF). 

The Medieval Warm Period (MWP) occurred from 950 - 1250 and was a period of normal than average temperatures. Data collected from ice cores and lake sediments provides evidence for the warming temperatures during this time period. 

The Little Ice Age (LIA)  followed the Medeival Warm Period and was characterized by cooler than normal temperatures. The LIA extended from approximately 1550 - 1850.  Tree ring, ice core and lake deposit data provide evidence for cooler temperatures during this time period. 

Earth's temeprature (0 CE-2010). The red line represents the temperature anomaly from different types of data. The black line is the temperature anomaly measured from instruments. The temperature anomaly is how much the temperature varied from the average. Graphs courtesy of CK-12. 

While Earth's climatic history includes fluctuations in temperatures, it has only been since the mid 1800s that a more signifcant rise in global temperatures has been observed. 

Sources: Climate Change. Retrieved from http://www.ck12.org/section/Climate-Change-%253A%253Aof%253A%253A-MS-Climate/ on August 27, 2013. 

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Last modified: Tuesday, 13 January 2015, 4:20 PM