WMO says temperatures up, also calls for drought indices

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Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Climate change and global warming are under discussion in chilly Copenhagen this week, and in Geneva the World Meteorological Organization is contributing its share of scientific data to heat up the debate. The WMO late Tuesday published its latest report on global temperature changes, which shows that “2009 is likely to rank in the top 10 warmest on record since the beginning of instrumental climate records in 1850.”

The year is currently ranked fifth historically for warm temperatures. It is 0.44C above the 1961-1990 average of 14.00°C/57.2°F.

The average combines global sea surface and land surface air temperature. The WMO data shows that decade by decade, temperatures have climbed steadily since 1980.

The WMO is a United Nations body whose members are all the national weather services.

Also this week, 60 WMO members are meeting in Nebraska to discuss what they say is the increased likelihood of droughts, given global warming. The group announced Tuesday it is recommending standard drought indices for various types of droughts and it plans to develop guidelines for countries in implementing and improving drought early warning systems.

Links to other sites: WMO, COP15 climate conference

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